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enyltiak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What an incredible, wonderful book. Stories about houses, about hauntings, about stories themselves, will always draw me in and delight me. I can't express the love I have for this story. I'd rate it six stars if I could, if not more. Utter perfection, falling somewhere between the cozy epic-ness of Six of Crows and the comforting gothic of A Series of Unfortunate Events. It's a book about folk tales and magic and siblings and ghosts and memory, told from the perspective of the house in which the characters reside. I cannot recommend it enough. An instant new favorite.
Graphic: Grief, Hate crime, War, Genocide, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Antisemitism, Child death, Death, and Violence
abscott's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Self harm, Cursing, and Violence
lancemama's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, Child death, Death, Religious bigotry, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Grief, War, Xenophobia, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Racism, Violence, Hate crime, and Murder
savvy999's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Antisemitism, Child death, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Xenophobia
carlyoc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
We have three main POV characters in this book: Isaac Yaga, his sister Bellatine, and Thistlefoot, a house that walks on chicken legs. The estranged siblings are brought together by a notice that they have inherited the house of their twice-great grandmother. But the house is pursued by a monster from its past, who we later learn is a very interesting portrayal of a dybbuk from Jewish mythology.
Magic is not the norm in this world, but nor is it mind-blowing. Isaac and Bellatine take their house on tour around the country, running a travelling puppet show like their family did when they were children. Isaac and Bellatine each have special powers, although only Bellatine's is known by the other sibling.
Isaac can mimic other people with inhuman accuracy to the extent that his body really seems to take on their shape. And Bellatine lives in fear of what her hands can do to inanimate objects that have too much life in them.
Although the novel takes place in modern times, there is something old-timey about the book, including Isaac's habit of jumping onto moving trains and speaking in classic rail rider slang. Adding to that feeling, was the narration of the audiobook by the excellent January LaVoy, whose voice will be very familiar to listeners of Libba Bray's The Diviners series.
Moderate: Xenophobia, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, and Grief
Minor: Mass/school shootings and Racism
Depicts in some detail a pogrom in Eastern Europe.cleot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: War, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Xenophobia, Animal death, Murder, and Racism
azureumbreon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: War, Child death, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Genocide
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Religious bigotry
loscamp4lyf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, Hate crime, Genocide, and Antisemitism
Minor: Self harm
clynns's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Grief, Child death, Self harm, Xenophobia, Death, Genocide, and War
tiernanhunter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Death, Deportation, Genocide, Xenophobia, Blood, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Vomit, and War