Reviews

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

auradite's review against another edition

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3.0

3,5 stars!

tatyanavogt's review against another edition

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3.0

This is about a boy who can see ghosts and ends up having a connection with a school shooter boy and he isn't sure why and needs to figure it out etc etc.

There are some things that I really enjoyed about this book and some things that really bothered me. There was a cute romance that I liked although it was a little insta-lovey but it wasn't really part of the actual story so I didn't mind too much. I was kinda into the second perspective because it caused and internal battle within me because of who that person was, what they did and what happened to them which I thought was an interesting experience.

But where I struggled the most was the end, where something happens and It's not clear to me why it happened and the follow through after didn't make sense to me and I just was like, what.. but.. what...

So yeah, I liked it. But had some issues with it.

lorithereadingfairy's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-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

1.5

chuskeyreads's review against another edition

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2.0

I really wanted to love this book. I mean, look at that cover! Alas! It was not to be.

The story is all over the place to the point that it’s a little hard to follow. The characters are flat, and I just felt nothing for the main character, Jake. You have no back story for why he’s able to see that’s and ghouls, and there’s a discrepancy between whether he was 10 or 5 years old the first time he’s aware.

The story seems forced, and the characters just appear without any introduction - as though the reader is supposed to know who they are ad how they fit into Jake’s world just by calling them by name.

The prose is just… weird.

”I see bloody shower water leaking down the walls of my eyes when I close them.” <\i>


bbrown0526's review against another edition

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3.0

This book had potential to do something really cool and unique, but really fell short. I’m fine with going along for a ride but I needed at least some details of Jake’s abilities in order to understand what the hell was happening. With as short as it was, there was definitely room to expand that. The only character I really got a feel for was Benji, everyone else felt super 2 dimensional and like an after thought.

I also don’t know how I felt about reading from Sawyer’s perspective. I didn’t love how he was painted in a sympathetic and “lost boy” light. It was weird that we got more of Sawyer’s history, a white school shooter, than Jake - who is the black queer main character.

Overall I liked what the book was trying to do, but definitely think it could have been improved on.

rjdenney's review against another edition

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4.0

Spooky, fun, and packed with supernatural insanity. Really enjoyed this one. :)

cinderthemoon25's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

exlibrisphoebe's review against another edition

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3.0

3.25⭐️

morakane's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.5

danacanterino's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5/5

Es un libro fácil y muy rápido de leer, y más, si escuchás el audiolibro (en inglés) que está fenomenalmente hecho. Pero a pesar de que la historia me enganchó, no me voló la cabeza ni nada, esperaba un plot twist o algo, y fue todo muy, muy predecible.
Pero a pesar de ello, el autor crea un protagonista lo suficientemente carismático, como para empujarte a seguir leyendo, y ese es Jake. Adoré su personaje, tiene un buen arco de personaje, y aunque al final evoluciona, se mantiene siendo esa bonita persona que es al inicio del libro.
La representación en este libro es on top. Creo que es la primera vez que leo un personaje gay (y encima, negro) en un libro que no sea de romance, podría equivocarme, pero estoy casi segura.
Sin ser pesado con el tema, el autor entremezcla temas importantes como la sexualidad, el racismo, la discriminación y el bullying, pero sin olvidarse de hacer una historia de terror, que creo, a pesar de que no me facinó, para el público que va dirigido - YA -, es una muy buena entrada al género, que necesita sin duda más adeptos, y más, con autores POC.