Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

23 reviews

gellyreads's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Sawyer as a character is conflicting, but I liked the way this book set up the characters, powers, and world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Stalking, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mass/school shootings, Fire/Fire injury, and Bullying

elysianbud's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The entire second half of the book was just the author ripping my heart out of my chest while I sobbed violently. I've literally just finished it and I think I have a headache from dehydration...

Great characters and good plot. Love to see assholes get their due. Author sets atmosphere brilliantly. 

(Also the cover for this is gorgeous!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Incest, Infidelity, Murder, Outing, Child death, Suicide attempt, Racism, Slavery, Child abuse, Car accident, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Violence, Racial slurs, Self harm, Blood, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Bullying, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Suicide

almost_me_again's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Racism, Suicide attempt, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Physical abuse, Mental illness, and Gun violence

allisonsmith120's review

dark medium-paced

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Racism, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Animal cruelty, Murder, Self harm, Blood, Child death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Racial slurs, Car accident, Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Vomit, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault

thebookpaiges's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Blood, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Death, Grief, Body horror, and Racism

Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Sexual assault, Rape, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcohol

lthumphrey's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Bullying, Confinement, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Death, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, War, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Pedophilia, Slavery, Alcohol, Cursing, and Rape

taliatalksbooks's review

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass wasn’t what I was expecting. I definitely liked some aspects, but others caused me to question of this was picked up for its plot of pure tokenism. First of all, this book involves heavy topics around a school shooting which is a hard topic to write about given the recent (and frankly not so recent) tragedies in US. While I loved the idea of the protagonist being a medium, and I loved the opening of the book and the “After” created by Douglass, but the fact that this character is speaking with the shooter who continues to violently harm and haunt is disturbing. I don’t typically get offended by books, and though I finished it, this book definitely felt like it was picked up because of the main characters identifies (black and homosexual). While I recognize the importance of highlighting mental illness and the effects it can have on the public if untreated or ignored, I felt like this book highlighted the attacker vs. memorializing the victims. The idea was there but the execution felt misguided in my opinion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Suicide, Mental illness, Gun violence, Death, Self harm, and Mass/school shootings

bryelle's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

Jake is such a lovable character. He is a medium who is dealing with high school and seeing ghosts. He starts to see the ghost of a teenage boy who is  torturing him. He has to solve some troubles from his past to defeat this ghost and banish him. 

Along the way Jake meets some friends who are in it for the long run. And also falls in love. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Mass/school shootings, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Alcohol, Murder, Pedophilia, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Rape, Suicide attempt, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, and Child abuse

Moderate: Outing and Slavery

ecn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

• 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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Homophobia, Blood, Child death, Bullying, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicide, Vomit, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Hate crime, Incest, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

anouverlinden_'s review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

this novel is too short for the idea to be fleshed out enough. Would this be a couple 100 pages longer it could have been better because now things were extremely vague and pretty much glossed over which caused some distance between the reader and the story. Nothing in this story meant anything to me because everything happened so fast without giving the reader time to proces everything that happened. it was okay but ultimately it fell very flat for me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Emotional abuse, Rape, Homophobia, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Suicide, Racism, Physical abuse, Mass/school shootings, and Gore