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Reviews tagging 'Deadnaming'
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
94 reviews
jesshorn10's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Hate crime
Moderate: Bullying and Racism
Minor: Deadnaming and War
I decided to try this one again after my re-read of the first book to see if it changed my opinion about it. Unfortunately, It was still just okay. I feel like the chapters were way too short, and the writing was a bit over the top for me, sometimes. I feel like the author was trying too hard to make everything the characters said deep and meaningful, and it felt like all the characters were trying to teach me a lesson, which got a little old. Overall, I didn't hate this. It was nice to see Ari and Dante's relationship continue and develop, and I also really liked Ari's character development. I just expected a bit more.bookwormbi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I'm so amazed by the fact that Lin-Manuel Miranda is probably the worst audiobook reader I've ever experienced, and yet the beauty and passion of this work still shined through. I cried reading this so many times. I loved all of the characters so much. Ari's character development from the beginning of Secrets of the Universe to this is truly such a marvel to behold. Saenz is a gift to this world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death, Death of parent, Racism, and Homophobia
Minor: Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Colonisation, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Cursing, and Misogyny
vanessa_v's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
i had such high expectations from this book and it just disappointed me, even the writing was off. i liked the story and the development of all the characters but the book was slow and really hard to get into and i think this sequel was a bit unnecessary
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism and Transphobia
Minor: Deadnaming
marit_1305's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Deadnaming and War
meleac07's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
One of the absolute books I’ve ever read. This book makes me so full of peace and it comforted me in every moment I read it. This is one of those books that makes me think differently. One of those books that has a lasting impact on me. Everything from the characters to the setting to the plot was so gorgeously done. Absolutely magnificent in every way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Grief
Minor: War, Sexual content, and Deadnaming
forrestalexander's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Homophobia, Grief, and Transphobia
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
Minor: Deadnaming
jamie1498's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Deadnaming, Homophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Transphobia
heavenssnat's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe has been my favourite book and my comfort book for so long. I absolutely loved the story and the flawed way the main character was thinking and I loved the focus on the characters.
This sequel is wonderful. Most of the book is Ari coming into himself, learning to accept love and parts of himself and getting to know his parents, really knowing them. He learns to love more openly, to let people in and to grow up. After reading three fourths of it I knew there was something incredibly heartbreaking coming. It was a bit predictable, I guessed what could've happened even just reading the synopsis, even though I hoped for the best. I cried a lot and was so sad, but the way it was handled was so beautiful. The author has a way of describing what it's like to deal with loss, in all it's different ways, and it's beautiful.
The ending was heartbreaking. Not in the way that I cried, but in a way that that was and still is the reality for people of the LGBTQ+ community. The uncertainty of our futures never really goes away.
I kind of hoped for an ending that wasn't left open like that, I kind of wanted it to be a closed and happy ending. But I know that that's just not the way this author writes. None of his books that I've read so far have had a very closed and specific ending. It's more like a "everything will be ok, life is scary, let's see where it takes us and enjoy it while we can".
I know that some of my thoughts on this book will change with time, just like they always do. But even though I was terrified of reading this, scared of it ruining the happiness the first book gave me, I am really happy that I read it.
Benjamin Alire Sáenz writes stories that are just so heartbreakingly beautiful.
This sequel is wonderful. Most of the book is Ari coming into himself, learning to accept love and parts of himself and getting to know his parents, really knowing them. He learns to love more openly, to let people in and to grow up. After reading three fourths of it I knew there was something incredibly heartbreaking coming. It was a bit predictable, I guessed what could've happened even just reading the synopsis, even though I hoped for the best. I cried a lot and was so sad, but the way it was handled was so beautiful. The author has a way of describing what it's like to deal with loss, in all it's different ways, and it's beautiful.
The ending was heartbreaking. Not in the way that I cried, but in a way that that was and still is the reality for people of the LGBTQ+ community. The uncertainty of our futures never really goes away.
I kind of hoped for an ending that wasn't left open like that, I kind of wanted it to be a closed and happy ending. But I know that that's just not the way this author writes. None of his books that I've read so far have had a very closed and specific ending. It's more like a "everything will be ok, life is scary, let's see where it takes us and enjoy it while we can".
I know that some of my thoughts on this book will change with time, just like they always do. But even though I was terrified of reading this, scared of it ruining the happiness the first book gave me, I am really happy that I read it.
Benjamin Alire Sáenz writes stories that are just so heartbreakingly beautiful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Racism
Minor: Transphobia, Deadnaming, and Bullying
Transphobia:hannahwillacy's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Transphobia, Violence, and Deadnaming
shoni's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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? Yes
5.0
I have so many emotions and thoughts going through me that I can’t even put them into words. I was taken away by the first book but this sequel just took it to a whole new level. It brought in a new perspective of how important it is to surround yourself with people who love and understand you. How important it is to be your true self because otherwise, you are just living a life that’s a lie, a life that is making both you and others around you unhappy.
In the book, I already knew that I related to Ari. That his struggles were essentially my own struggles that I’ve been aware of over the last few months/years. Yet in this book, we really saw Ari’s character development and just how hard it is to grow up in a world that has so much hatred in it. While I was reading I just kept taking pictures and underlining so many passages because it felt like a direct look into my life. Like so much that one of the conversations Ari had with his friends I had with a friend a day before I got to the part. So I realized that we are essentially living the same life. But his character development was just written so beautifully. It wasn’t just him getting better and better, he had his moments where we went back down. And that’s how life is. High moments are followed by low moments and low moments are followed by high. I also love how it was shown that trauma can cause you to forget things at times. To not remember things but in bits and pieces.
It also made me realize in said low moments, shutting myself out from everyone I know isn’t helping anyone. That being surrounded by love and reminders of how these moments will pass makes the biggest difference. This story does such a wonderful job of reminding you that teenagers are stupid but also they are the only ones who can do anything. Even when you don’t agree, it’s around that time when you discover who you are and what you want to be. And no one excepts that to be easy. Also seeing how Ari dealt with the loss of his father and how that shaped him meant so much to me as I just experienced so much loss in my life. And seeing how he dealt with it, the words he used, and how he realized that living in the past and being consumed by sadness isn't helping anyone. That we have to keep moving forward and live for them instead was so personal to me and I loved it.
The friendships shown here also show that you cannot always know what’s going on in others' minds, but they will be there in times of need. That your friends will know what you need even if you don’t know it. Just seeing Ari take control of his life and seeing his friendship with Cassandra was also one of my favorites as it showed that she was the friend who never pushed and cared. She understood him on a deeper level without having to talk and physically say something so special and I want that.
I just really love seeing this and made me realize how much my friends actually mean to me and how much of a difference they made in my life.
I just really love seeing this and made me realize how much my friends actually mean to me and how much of a difference they made in my life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Transphobia and Racism
Minor: Deadnaming