Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

71 reviews

gellyreads's review

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Sawyer as a character is conflicting, but I liked the way this book set up the characters, powers, and world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Stalking, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mass/school shootings, Fire/Fire injury, and Bullying

petite_madeline's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Jake Livingston is different from all his classmates. And not just because he's one of the few Black students at his mostly-white private school. He's also the only one who can see the ghosts that wander through campus reliving their deaths.

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

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Content Warnings

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

writingcaia's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

3.75

Besides the sometimes hard to follow supernatural scenes in the realm of souls, demons and astral projections, this was a very dark, intense and interesting YA horror tale.
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.

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Content Warnings

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

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

The entire second half of the book was just the author ripping my heart out of my chest while I sobbed violently. I've literally just finished it and I think I have a headache from dehydration...

Great characters and good plot. Love to see assholes get their due. Author sets atmosphere brilliantly. 

(Also the cover for this is gorgeous!)

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Content Warnings

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

sapphire_mayo's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

sallie_ees's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Murder, Stalking, Racism, and Pedophilia

saurahsaurus's review

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I really enjoyed this book, but didn’t expect it to be so violent. I loved its lore and strangeness, the themes of identity and being othered. And I just want to protect main character 🥹💜

I understand the role that the violence played in the book, and it fit. Just wasn’t prepared for it going in.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Child death, Racism, Death, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcohol, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Outing, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Car accident, Cursing, Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Transphobia

Minor: Animal death, Abandonment, Infidelity, and Police brutality

ehmannky's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense 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

3.0

 I think that if this book had been like 60 or 70 pages longer, it would be one of the best YA horror books I've read. The ghost stuff is genuinely chilling, and Douglass has a talent for writing some very creepy scenes with great social commentary. I felt like I needed more of Jake with the two friends he gets over the course of the book. It felt like Douglass just speed-ran them into being best friends (I think if maybe the book started off with them all being friends I would have bought it more). Again, the paranormal stuff is excellent, it's just the connection between the main and supporting characters that felt a bit lacking. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Child death, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Toxic friendship and Abandonment

wrensreadingroom's review

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Body shaming, Bullying, Incest, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Cursing, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Classism, Medical content, Car accident, and Child death

whatchareadingheather's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense 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

This is a sparkling debut that is equal parts fun and anxiety inducing. The YA aspect of the book is VERY YA and might be a little off-putting for readers picking this up for the horror aspect, but I WILL say that Douglass's descriptive writing does an impeccable job with making you feel like you're in Jake's shoes as a teenage Medium that it's easy to read past the YA-ness of it. Hoping that Blumhouse gets their hands on this one for a future adaptation! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Body horror, Bullying, Death, and Suicide

Minor: Child abuse, Incest, Rape, Car accident, Pedophilia, Racism, Homophobia, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts