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henrygravesprince'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
3.75
Graphic: Violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Incest, Mass/school shootings, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicide, Murder, and Racism
Minor: Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, and Gore
petite_madeline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
I initially picked up this book because I saw people tagging it as dark academia and I was excited to finally see some diverse representation in the dark academia niche! This story takes place at a private school with themes of death/mystery, and there are setting descriptions that definitely fall in line with DA vibes. However I think that this book would also be enjoyable to people who love paranormal and/or queer horror.
This book ended up being way more intense and thematically heavy than I was expecting from YA, but I loved it! These are important conversations that need to be had: Black/queer intersectionality, gun violence in schools, gender norms/toxic masculinity, family acceptance/support, ancestral connections. It's a short book but there's so much packed in these pages!
Aside from the literary themes, Douglass also included beautifully descriptive and cinematic scenes that pull readers into a thoughtfully built paranormal world. Unfortunately, I struggle with slight aphantasia, meaning I have trouble creating mental images, so I ended up a bit lost during these highly visual scenes. I am jealous of anyone with a strong "mind's eye" who can thoroughly enjoy the detailed world that Douglass created.
The trigger warnings listed below may spoil some elements of the story, but please read if you may be sensitive to some of these potential triggers.
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Heavy trigger warnings for: Racism, homophobia, mass shootings, graphic violence, suicide, incest (attempted), sexual assault (attempted), child abuse (physical and emotional), animal abuse (bugs), fire
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Violence, Cursing, Death, Racism, Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Bullying
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Suicide
torla's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, and Gun violence
Moderate: Classism, Slavery, Child abuse, Ableism, Sexual assault, Bullying, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
writingcaia's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
In truth, this could have been told as a normal YA coming out and coming of age contemporary story, with a bit more trauma maybe, but the author chose well to explore the themes of abuse, neglect, bullying, school shootings (gun violence), racism, mental health and coming out as gay with a horror story.
The book shifts between two POVs, that of Sawyer, the white, blond, gay boy, abused by all, with a severe psychosis bordering on sociopathy and the main character’s POV, Jake, one of the only Black students at a white Christian school where his brother is the known bad boy all girls fall for and he’s the loser spaced out most of the time because he’s a medium, thus is haunted at all times by ghosts and more, which is how he meets Sawyer.
Give it a go, it’s definitely worth it if the themes interest you and you like funky visual, supernatural horror.
Graphic: Bullying, Gun violence, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Racism, and Blood
Moderate: Abandonment, Vomit, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
Minor: Racial slurs
elysianbud's review against another edition
- 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
Great characters and good plot. Love to see assholes get their due. Author sets atmosphere brilliantly.
(Also the cover for this is gorgeous!)
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
evelynyle_88'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
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Racism, Bullying, and Homophobia
Moderate: Death, Mass/school shootings, and Suicide
Minor: Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, and Gore
I love that I decided to change my edition of this book to audiobook. From dnf list, to finished. The Taking of Jake Livingston took my breath away. I love every second of it. This book was triggering for me but it is indeed a good book. I can't imagine if myself is Jake; being a medium. I love how creepy every chapter were. Thank you for the story, Ryan! You are brilliant!jackiie's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Homophobia, Bullying, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Racism, Stalking, Car accident, Child abuse, Outing, Violence, Suicide, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Blood, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, and Drug use
sarah_shelf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
I also found Sawyer’s chapters so incredibly uncomfortable. That’s on purpose. He’s the antagonist of the story and no matter what happened in his life, he’s still a mass shooter. I struggle with storylines connected to these kind of strategies to begin with, but being in his head and listening to him (since I borrowed the audiobook) was very distressing. I know the backstory is giving the character nuance and explaining how he became what he is — even acknowledging that the people in his life were terrible people. But I could’ve done without it.
Both of those things made it hard for me to enjoy this book more. But my thoughts weren’t all negative. I did really enjoy listening to Jake’s journey as he learns to accept who he is, stand up for himself, and be confident in his abilities. The exploration of dead world and the ghost fights were super cool! I loved how Jake and River were able to help each other conquer their (metaphorical and literal) demons. And Jake’s happy ending with Allister at the end was very sweet.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Racism, Gun violence, Homophobia, Child abuse, Murder, and Bullying
Moderate: Suicide, Death, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Gore, Animal cruelty, and Domestic abuse
Attempted sexual assault Torture of bugs POV of mass/school shooter (not during event)lennybiird's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Rape, Child abuse, Mass/school shootings, Adult/minor relationship, and Child death
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism
Minor: Religious bigotry
sapphire_mayo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Suicide, Car accident, Mass/school shootings, Child abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt