Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

17 reviews

epeolatri's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Loved every second of this book! I wish I had been so lucky as to read it when I was a kid, but I love it just as much at 22. Can’t wait to read the rest!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Confinement, War, and Violence

alliemikennareads's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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

I really enjoyed this book and was pleasantly surprised that 15 years later, it still holds up and the morals are pretty on the nose for present day. This was adventurous, mysterious, a little dark, and full of character. I would have loved this if I read it in my younger years, and I’m excited to continue the series as a grownup! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Confinement and Violence

skudiklier's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

This was one of my favorite books as a child, but my copy got lost after loaning it to someone, and I've been waiting for years to get a new one so I could reread it. I really enjoyed it! I was surprised by how much I remembered. And like, it's true that some things about the book are problematic and on-the-nose (liking books isn't inherently good, TV isn't inherently bad, there's the ableist trope of

the bad guy getting up from the wheelchair

, and there's so much to unpack with all the "gifted" stuff). But still, I can't help adoring this book. I'm excited to reread the rest of the series! 

Also, spoiler:

I can't believe Constance is TWO?! I remembered that she was actually very young, so the whole book I was paying attention to how she spoke and acted and stuff, and in my head I was like "there's no way she's like four what the heck she's the most advanced of all of them." But I thought she was like four or five, not two!!! Wild.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, Bullying, Death, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, Medical content, and Mental illness

meagangrace's review against another edition

adventurous

• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

courtneyfalling's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I remember this fondly from when I was younger, and I still enjoyed the anti-authoritarian, pro-kid plot. But the stakes never felt as big as we were supposed to believe they were, and plot details came and went really quickly.  

I also forgot this is a prime example of the "villain is faking having a physical disability" trope, and I absolutely did not like it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Abandonment, Confinement, and Ableism

flordemaga's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping and Bullying

Minor: Child abuse and Confinement

rachaelbunny's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying and Child abuse

Minor: Confinement, Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, and Slavery