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sheryl's review
- 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
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
laura_berger's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Child death and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Abortion, and Death of parent
gholdreith's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
laurenabeth's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Spellbound. I am spellbound. Giddy. Gleeful. Childlike. I don’t believe I have ever been childlike, but this book is that kind of transformative. It put fuel in my tank; it brightened my darkness; it lifted me from my misery. This is the most magical book that doesn’t include magic, the most whimsical book that I don’t think ever used the word “whimsy,” and the most gratifyingly crafted prose I’ve read in years.
I can barely contain my joy to review this, except to say it was un-put-downable. I timed my reading session, and I blew through this in 5.28 hours. This is the most valuable 5.28 hours I’ve spent in ages.
Teacher’s aid Lucy is selected with a few other strangers to play a game at the remote home of a reclusive children’s author and his despondent illustrator. Questions and riddles and mysteries follow, but there are bigger prizes at stake…
You love Lucy. You love Jack. You’re praying that Christopher gets what he deserves, and you hope that Hugo gets that too. This is a story about the power of wishes and the fact that wishes aren’t granted, they’re chased. They are breathed into life by the mind and then hunted down and made manifest by sheer force of will and determination. And even then, you don’t get what you wish for, you get what you deserve.
This is a book about books, about love and hope, about found family and the power of fantasy. It’s a story within a story maybe within another story, and each ending feels like the warm sun on your face after a winter of gloom.
Trigger warning for various forms of child abuse, neglect, illness, bigotry. But for the love of all things holy and unholy, read this. I burst into tears around page 245, and haven’t stopped crying since. It’ll be the fastest thing you’ll read, and the thing you put at the top of your re-read list. I never re-read anything, but I already can’t wait to read this again.
It’s not too heavy, not too light, and is as near to perfectly charming as a book can be. A million stars, a million likes, a million thanks.
Graphic: Grief and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Child death, Drug abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, and Abortion
goldenbeebookshop's review
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
There are so many delightful details that it also gave me a little hint of what I loved about my all-time favorite book, The Night Circus. The descriptions are whimsical and magical, and capture the sort of clever ideas that spark joy in the parts of us that love to believe that the well-loved places from our favorite childhood books are somewhere we can really visit.
It’s a book for adults, but the style and content of the story makes it a great read for a wide range of readers.
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol