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kamiellen's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
It's Harry Potter but not Harry Potter and I loved it. Penny is delightful, Watford is interesting in its own right, and I'm obsessed with how magic works in this world. I'm not a huge enemies-to-lovers fan, but Rowell kept me turning the pages and rooting for Simon and Baz the whole way through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Confinement, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Mental illness, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Bullying, and Grief
Minor: Blood, Abandonment, and Homophobia
avisreadsandreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Confinement, Pregnancy, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Animal death
Minor: Vomit, Homophobia, Abandonment, and Panic attacks/disorders
serracha's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
V gay
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent
theroach's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
How is this book so cute while also being really sad but also really funny all at the same time. Gobbled this up faster than a candy corn.
It was Agatha all along. Can we have a moment of appreciation that the toxic, manipulative, absolutely trash adults end up being the villains instead of portraying these people as super wise father figures that can do no wrong, forgiven and idolized to the gd end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Homophobia, and Police brutality
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Confinement and Kidnapping
asthxte's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, and Violence
ghostofthegallows's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
4.75
This is not really a book you read for a deep plot you read it for the comfort and the characters. And I very much recomend it for a lighthearted read with its darker moments especially towards the end. I hope the next book is as good as the first
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Murder, Death of parent, and Bullying
tristonleeann's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It is filled with great, lovable characters such as: disaster, sour cherry scone loving chosen one who can’t control his magic; best friend who is done with her friends crap, but still loves and supports him anyway; girl who likes ex-boyfriends (who is still in love with her) arch-nemesis; and finally disturbed (not my word, his), depressed, suicidal (at times), self-loathing, dramatic, gay vampire who is in love with the boy who is supposed to be his arch-nemesis.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Kidnapping, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Stalking, and Violence
It’s great book that has a romance in it that doesn’t completely take over the plot. You could take out the romance and it would be just as good, having said that it is a wonderful addition.toberomanced's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I love the characters, but there were a couple of problematic lines in here.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Murder, and Death
Minor: Biphobia
allygator's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As much as I hate to do this, I'm dropping my review of this from 5 to 4 stars.
And before I get any further -- that's not a bad thing!! I think I've just matured as a reader and as a person in general, and that's had an effect on my thoughts on this book.
First, as much as I love Simon, I spent the entire first 150 pages just waiting for Baz to show up. The build-up of anticipation is well written, I just think it goes on for like 50 pages too long.
Once Baz gets there, though, the pacing of the book immediately picks up. The next 200-300 pages feel like nothing. I sped through them like I didn't have class to go to and homework to do. I adore the narration from all the characters, and the minute the plot picks up it doesn't let go until the book ends.
Also, and forgive me for saying this because I truly truly love Simon and Baz and them together, there were moments, especially right after they got together, that felt a little toxic. There's so many moments where Baz (or Simon) should apologize for something he says or does, and neither of them ever do. There's a lot of unresolved conflict between the two of them, and honestly after this reread I think I'm going to appreciate Wayward Son a lot more.
I think the first times I read this book, I read it with rose colored glasses, and now that I'm reading it for the first time in a couple years, I'm realizing some of the problems with it that I hadn't noticed the first few times around. Little things that aren't big issues in the grand scheme of things, but make a difference as I'm reading this with more queer fantasy novels under my belt.
A few things that could make it better? I'm glad you asked:
- Acknowledgement from Baz that his family was kind of terrible and has bad views about the world and about magic
- Slightly more consistent pacing
- Fixing of the (sometimes more than) slight biphobia that is mentioned more than once after Simon gets with Baz (I have heard that this gets addressed in Any Way the Wind Blows though, so I'll have to get to that to be sure)
- Just a tiny, tiny bit of development between Simon and Baz between when they argue and when they're hopelessly in love -- the jump from the night after the fire to the moment in the White Chapel is jarring
Anyways, this is still a massively comforting read to me, and some quotes still take my breath away ("You were the sun, and I was crashing into you" -- excuse me??? crisis time). Definitely still a solid read, and one that I'll definitely read again. Looking forward to reading the sequels with more mature eyes!
And before I get any further -- that's not a bad thing!! I think I've just matured as a reader and as a person in general, and that's had an effect on my thoughts on this book.
First, as much as I love Simon, I spent the entire first 150 pages just waiting for Baz to show up. The build-up of anticipation is well written, I just think it goes on for like 50 pages too long.
Once Baz gets there, though, the pacing of the book immediately picks up. The next 200-300 pages feel like nothing. I sped through them like I didn't have class to go to and homework to do. I adore the narration from all the characters, and the minute the plot picks up it doesn't let go until the book ends.
Also, and forgive me for saying this because I truly truly love Simon and Baz and them together, there were moments, especially right after they got together, that felt a little toxic. There's so many moments where Baz (or Simon) should apologize for something he says or does, and neither of them ever do. There's a lot of unresolved conflict between the two of them, and honestly after this reread I think I'm going to appreciate Wayward Son a lot more.
I think the first times I read this book, I read it with rose colored glasses, and now that I'm reading it for the first time in a couple years, I'm realizing some of the problems with it that I hadn't noticed the first few times around. Little things that aren't big issues in the grand scheme of things, but make a difference as I'm reading this with more queer fantasy novels under my belt.
A few things that could make it better? I'm glad you asked:
- Acknowledgement from Baz that his family was kind of terrible and has bad views about the world and about magic
- Slightly more consistent pacing
- Fixing of the (sometimes more than) slight biphobia that is mentioned more than once after Simon gets with Baz (I have heard that this gets addressed in Any Way the Wind Blows though, so I'll have to get to that to be sure)
- Just a tiny, tiny bit of development between Simon and Baz between when they argue and when they're hopelessly in love -- the jump from the night after the fire to the moment in the White Chapel is jarring
Anyways, this is still a massively comforting read to me, and some quotes still take my breath away ("You were the sun, and I was crashing into you" -- excuse me??? crisis time). Definitely still a solid read, and one that I'll definitely read again. Looking forward to reading the sequels with more mature eyes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Biphobia
consucks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment, Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts