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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, Medical content
Minor: Drug use
emotional
inspiring
sad
My heart, my soul. I have laughed I have cried. I was caught off guard with an enemy I never suspected. This was a very long book, and even tho I don't do religion or religious things and this is a book about an angel and trust and faith and all that. It wasn't too much even though . Because more than being about religion it's about grief and loss and finding your way out of that dark place. Being able to find a reason to get up or finding that person that becomes your reason. It's about strength and yes faith but I believe faith is for more than just religion.
Oh my god this took me forever to get through it nearly put me in a slump. It's not really a quality issue, TJ klune is always to offer some beautiful writing and intense emotions and lovable characters with an intriguing plot. It's just that this book dragged on forever, it could've used some reduction in length, some parts were overwritten and repetitive, I get it's for emotional impact, and it's important to convey Benji's suffering in detail because that's what grief is, stunting life's progress and trapping you into an endless loop, but it really got too tedious and I had to skim through a lot.
Anyway I realize this is an older TJK's writing and it's nice to see how much his writing has progressed, and even back then he's always had his magical touch
Anyway I realize this is an older TJK's writing and it's nice to see how much his writing has progressed, and even back then he's always had his magical touch
Relisten #3
Still amazing. Love this book.
Relisten #2
I listened to this almost a year before. I'm bumping this up to 5 full stars dispute my pet peeve of no epilogue. I was still reduced to a blubbering mess. If only all fathers where like Big Eddie.
4.5 stars
MY GOD! having read all of TJ's newer books... Reading his older work t was daunting. I felt like I didn't want to tarnish my experience with his writing. Maybe its not as good, not as poignant, not as beautiful.
I was wrong.
FML this book was HARD. I have had tears in my eyes from page 1.
This book is brutal and beautiful and fascinating and IT HURT!
"Cross your heart and hope to die. Stick a thousand needles in your eye"
What I loved:
- Let's start with the almost 19-hour audio... We all know TJ can't write a short book to save his life. This narrator did a great job. it was the first time I have heard him but he tackled this book beautifully. even though it wasn't perfect, but he gave different voices to the multitude of characters in the book, which for me is a must. He also performed the emotions really well. I was impressed. #Brava
- Benji: Reading Benji's story was painful. experiencing his love for his dad, his grief, his loss and then his connection with Cal, he was depressed and hurting and he took blow after blow and still he kept standing back up again. he was beautiful in his power, in his sadness and his anger. He was flawed and he was beautiful in his Flaws too. #IWillSurvive
- Cal: The angel Calliel was larger than life.. in his love for Benji and the amount of sacrifice he has had to go through. he is weighed down by guilt but doesn't know why. He has fallen from grace because he dared to love a mortal... but he never regrets it. #NoRegrets
- The Romance: Cal has loved Benji for all his life, from the moment he was born and then one day he was given a choice. He chose Benji. Benji on the other hand... he was taken with Cal. He slowly fell for his angel, quietly lets him into his heart and resolutely chose him above all others. even as the secrets are revealed, even as Benji discovers betrayal after betrayal, their love transcends it all. #UntilTheVeryEnd
- The relationship between Benjie and his father Big Eddie... GAWD it was beautiful . If there are any dads like Big Eddie IRL... I envy the kids who have them. Big Eddie was magnificent even if he were dead for all of the story. But the flashbacks, the memories, the feelings, the sacrifice... it was magnificent. #NoWords
- The Side Characters: From the trio, to Abe and Benji's mom... to the bad guys and the angels. This cast of characters all had a part to play. They were detrimental to the story, even if it was a tiny role. #NoRoleIsTooSmall
- Steam-o-meter: Low steam as is rule with TJ... and I never mind it with him, because what he writes doesn't need sex to make it better or more memorable. #MoreThan
Angst-o-meter: HIGH ANGST. Omg.. I'm exhausted and will need a break and some fluff after this. #WorthItThough
The ending...
It was the perfect ending for this story, for Cal and Benji...for everyone. #NoGoingBack
The only thing missing, the thing that shaved off that half star, is that I NEEDED an epilogue.
Still amazing. Love this book.
Relisten #2
I listened to this almost a year before. I'm bumping this up to 5 full stars dispute my pet peeve of no epilogue. I was still reduced to a blubbering mess. If only all fathers where like Big Eddie.
4.5 stars
MY GOD! having read all of TJ's newer books... Reading his older work t was daunting. I felt like I didn't want to tarnish my experience with his writing. Maybe its not as good, not as poignant, not as beautiful.
I was wrong.
FML this book was HARD. I have had tears in my eyes from page 1.
This book is brutal and beautiful and fascinating and IT HURT!
"Cross your heart and hope to die. Stick a thousand needles in your eye"
What I loved:
- Let's start with the almost 19-hour audio... We all know TJ can't write a short book to save his life. This narrator did a great job. it was the first time I have heard him but he tackled this book beautifully. even though it wasn't perfect, but he gave different voices to the multitude of characters in the book, which for me is a must. He also performed the emotions really well. I was impressed. #Brava
- Benji: Reading Benji's story was painful. experiencing his love for his dad, his grief, his loss and then his connection with Cal, he was depressed and hurting and he took blow after blow and still he kept standing back up again. he was beautiful in his power, in his sadness and his anger. He was flawed and he was beautiful in his Flaws too. #IWillSurvive
- Cal: The angel Calliel was larger than life.. in his love for Benji and the amount of sacrifice he has had to go through. he is weighed down by guilt but doesn't know why. He has fallen from grace because he dared to love a mortal... but he never regrets it. #NoRegrets
- The Romance: Cal has loved Benji for all his life, from the moment he was born and then one day he was given a choice. He chose Benji. Benji on the other hand... he was taken with Cal. He slowly fell for his angel, quietly lets him into his heart and resolutely chose him above all others. even as the secrets are revealed, even as Benji discovers betrayal after betrayal, their love transcends it all. #UntilTheVeryEnd
- The relationship between Benjie and his father Big Eddie... GAWD it was beautiful . If there are any dads like Big Eddie IRL... I envy the kids who have them. Big Eddie was magnificent even if he were dead for all of the story. But the flashbacks, the memories, the feelings, the sacrifice... it was magnificent. #NoWords
- The Side Characters: From the trio, to Abe and Benji's mom... to the bad guys and the angels. This cast of characters all had a part to play. They were detrimental to the story, even if it was a tiny role. #NoRoleIsTooSmall
- Steam-o-meter: Low steam as is rule with TJ... and I never mind it with him, because what he writes doesn't need sex to make it better or more memorable. #MoreThan
Angst-o-meter: HIGH ANGST. Omg.. I'm exhausted and will need a break and some fluff after this. #WorthItThough
The ending...
It was the perfect ending for this story, for Cal and Benji...for everyone. #NoGoingBack
The only thing missing, the thing that shaved off that half star, is that I NEEDED an epilogue.
“For want of my father, I was lost.”
This book is…
About grief.
About loss.
About heartbreak.
About pain.
About despair.
About cruelty.
About betrayal.
About darkness.
About the river.
About giving up and drowning.
“Sometimes I float along the river
For to its surface I am bound
And there are times stones done fill my pockets, oh Lord,
And it's into this river I drown”
And this book is…
About love.
About hope.
About joy.
About faith.
About belief.
About miracles.
About humanity.
About sunrise.
About light.
About holding on and rising.
“It reminds me every day that there is beauty in the world. That even though it may feel like we are alone sometimes, we are never truly alone.”
This book is about Benji. Benjamin Edward Green.
And his love of two men.
One is his father. Edward Benjamin Green. The larger-than-life Big Eddie. The greatest man in the world.
The other is his guardian angel. Caliel Blue. Who fell from the sky. For him.
This is their story.
P.S.: While this book is about the aftermath of tragedy and the resultant emotional and psychological struggles of Benji, that's not all that it is about. It is so much more. However, even if it is (only about Benji's soul-crushing sadness), that is not anyone's place to say that he needed "to buck the f*ck up" and "the number of a good psychologist, a large bottle of antidepressants and … take up journaling." Grief does not have an expiry date. Mourning need not have a timeline. To belittle grief and its impact in such a condescending way is no less than being cruel, especially to those millions of people all over the world who suffer from crippling depression. Not even the best psychologist, the largest bottle of antidepressants, and copious amount of journaling can guarantee a cure. Readers should note that they may not like a book (for whatsoever reason), but that does not give them the right to trivialize a serious medical illness just because they can.
This book is…
About grief.
About loss.
About heartbreak.
About pain.
About despair.
About cruelty.
About betrayal.
About darkness.
About the river.
About giving up and drowning.
“Sometimes I float along the river
For to its surface I am bound
And there are times stones done fill my pockets, oh Lord,
And it's into this river I drown”
And this book is…
About love.
About hope.
About joy.
About faith.
About belief.
About miracles.
About humanity.
About sunrise.
About light.
About holding on and rising.
“It reminds me every day that there is beauty in the world. That even though it may feel like we are alone sometimes, we are never truly alone.”
This book is about Benji. Benjamin Edward Green.
And his love of two men.
One is his father. Edward Benjamin Green. The larger-than-life Big Eddie. The greatest man in the world.
The other is his guardian angel. Caliel Blue. Who fell from the sky. For him.
This is their story.
P.S.: While this book is about the aftermath of tragedy and the resultant emotional and psychological struggles of Benji, that's not all that it is about. It is so much more. However, even if it is (only about Benji's soul-crushing sadness), that is not anyone's place to say that he needed "to buck the f*ck up" and "the number of a good psychologist, a large bottle of antidepressants and … take up journaling." Grief does not have an expiry date. Mourning need not have a timeline. To belittle grief and its impact in such a condescending way is no less than being cruel, especially to those millions of people all over the world who suffer from crippling depression. Not even the best psychologist, the largest bottle of antidepressants, and copious amount of journaling can guarantee a cure. Readers should note that they may not like a book (for whatsoever reason), but that does not give them the right to trivialize a serious medical illness just because they can.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
Every word Klune has ever written touches me deep down to the bottom of my very soul. And this book was no exception.
Reads like badly written christian fundamentalist smutty fanfiction. No thnx.
I just finished. I wanted to read this book since it came out but put it off for fear of the angst. OMG the angst!! I cried from about 87% to the end - not just cried, sobbed. It was awful!! It shattered my heart, though the ending helped repair it, it resonated with me in ways that will stay for awhile. I am still teary as I write this.
I found the beginning, not slow per se, but not as gripping. It was necessary though... And beautifully written. I was so invested in these characters. Their pain was my own, I felt their struggles and crisis of faith. Faith in themselves, in the world, in other people as well as with their god.
When the action happened, it swept me away and I couldn't put the book down. It broke me...
I'm not sure about the cross over from "Burn", it left questions unanswered. Nina also left me with questions. Is there going to be a sequel? Will it be tied to "Burn"?
Masterfully written overall
I found the beginning, not slow per se, but not as gripping. It was necessary though... And beautifully written. I was so invested in these characters. Their pain was my own, I felt their struggles and crisis of faith. Faith in themselves, in the world, in other people as well as with their god.
When the action happened, it swept me away and I couldn't put the book down. It broke me...
I'm not sure about the cross over from "Burn", it left questions unanswered. Nina also left me with questions. Is there going to be a sequel? Will it be tied to "Burn"?
Masterfully written overall
DNF at 42%
It was just too boring and I didn't connect to any of the characters. What really threw me off was the fact that Benji, the mc, just talked and acted like a damsel in distress
It was just too boring and I didn't connect to any of the characters. What really threw me off was the fact that Benji, the mc, just talked and acted like a damsel in distress