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vitiumthevampire's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed this novel but it wasn't really anything special.
This story follows Jake, a teenager who can see ghosts, as he struggles as the (pretty much) only black kid in a fancy all white school, while also being gay and being stalked by the ghost of a school shooter.
I did like that the book touched on some darker topics like sexual abuse, physical abuse, substance abuse, racism and homophobia. I feel like a lot of YA books that I've read are overly sanitized and don't dare touch on these sorts of topics, even though the lives of teenager can be quite gritty in real life.
The writing itself was nice enough. The author tends to make unusual analogies though, which slow down reading a bit as I tried to comprehend.
Unfortunately I felt that there were some inconsistencies in the book regarding some of the main themes, especially around the being gay and coming out part, which seemed rather sloppy to me. Some things happened that I felt should have been addressed more.
Overall this was an average read to me.
This story follows Jake, a teenager who can see ghosts, as he struggles as the (pretty much) only black kid in a fancy all white school, while also being gay and being stalked by the ghost of a school shooter.
I did like that the book touched on some darker topics like sexual abuse, physical abuse, substance abuse, racism and homophobia. I feel like a lot of YA books that I've read are overly sanitized and don't dare touch on these sorts of topics, even though the lives of teenager can be quite gritty in real life.
The writing itself was nice enough. The author tends to make unusual analogies though, which slow down reading a bit as I tried to comprehend.
Unfortunately I felt that there were some inconsistencies in the book regarding some of the main themes, especially around the being gay and coming out part, which seemed rather sloppy to me. Some things happened that I felt should have been addressed more.
Overall this was an average read to me.
bambhee's review against another edition
2.0
oh, i really struggled with this book. i don't think i ever read one that felt this long while being pretty short instead. it's a shame, really, because the whole premise behind it was mindblowing. my expectations were sky-high, but i found the execution lacking in some way. i had trouble following since the very beginning—maybe it's my fault, but i really couldn't focus for shit on what the author was trying to describe. it was troublesome to visualize the paranormal stuff in particular, probably because the world building is a little lacking and not deeply detailed. this book had insane potential, and i don't like admitting it's gone to waste, but...
nonetheless, this wasn't horrible. i particularly liked the queer black representation, and how the author treated themes such as homophobia and racism. i wish sawyer got way more though, because lord knows he's a complicated character—and while douglass offered him some kind of background that explained in part why he was the way he was and why he did the things he did, i still feel like it wasn't enough.
nonetheless, this wasn't horrible. i particularly liked the queer black representation, and how the author treated themes such as homophobia and racism. i wish sawyer got way more though, because lord knows he's a complicated character—and while douglass offered him some kind of background that explained in part why he was the way he was and why he did the things he did, i still feel like it wasn't enough.
josephgorne's review against another edition
dark
fast-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? Yes
4.25
mylibrarybooks's review against another edition
I honestly don't know how many stars to give this so I think I'll wait and think and update it at some point. That does not mean this wasn't a good book! The writing is kind of really amazing, especially the descriptions and metaphors used. The characters are well developed, especially the narrators, the non narrative characters were fairly well developed as well, just not as multifaceted maybe. I just...don't know what it was trying to say I guess? It is a great example of YA horror, and definitely brings up important topics. Using the first person perspective for the narrators was great, yet they still felt very removed or withdrawn from the reader (or at least me), which is probably a good thing in the end, but it made it somewhat difficult for me to relate I guess is the word? I can't quite put my finger on what I'm trying to say either. The pacing was a bit slow, and I feel like most of the things that happened at the end maybe should have happened around 1/2 way or 3/4 of the way in, but I also get why they didn't happen then too. So, this is just a strange review, entirely for myself, so I can put together my thoughts about this one.
astronad's review against another edition
2.0
Messy, boring, and weirdly paced. It wasn’t scary. Jake was a boring character and can be summed up with the words of his brother: “Sometimes I do the most, but you don’t do enough.” It’s tiring reading about a character who has so obviously given up before he’s even started making an effort.
The rules of this universe were never clearly defined. His powers are never explained (he seems to suddenly come up with new ones on the fly). What ghosts and ghouls can and cannot do is never established. This leaves readers not understanding the true stakes of his journey.
The writing is weirdly vague in it’s descriptions too. It doesn’t paint a vivid picture of the settings, or even the emotions of the characters. It feels like watching a movie where everything is just a little too dark and you can’t actually see any of the scenes. The action sequences were just plain bad.
The one thing I enjoyed is Jake’s relationship with Allister. I thought it was very cute and I’m happy they got a good ending.
That being said, some books can survive on pure vibes alone but this one can’t. I had really high hopes but sadly, I was disappointed.
The rules of this universe were never clearly defined. His powers are never explained (he seems to suddenly come up with new ones on the fly). What ghosts and ghouls can and cannot do is never established. This leaves readers not understanding the true stakes of his journey.
The writing is weirdly vague in it’s descriptions too. It doesn’t paint a vivid picture of the settings, or even the emotions of the characters. It feels like watching a movie where everything is just a little too dark and you can’t actually see any of the scenes. The action sequences were just plain bad.
The one thing I enjoyed is Jake’s relationship with Allister. I thought it was very cute and I’m happy they got a good ending.
That being said, some books can survive on pure vibes alone but this one can’t. I had really high hopes but sadly, I was disappointed.
authoramandafernandes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
5.0
Vivid storytelling. Haunting imagery. A satisfying resolution.
britecrawlers's review against another edition
2.0
This book lost me at the use of “listening hole” I’m sorry but—
I came out of this book knowing the protagonist on a surface level and not having any interest in the stakes at hand? I know more about the antagonist— who I have beef with for several reasons— than the actual protagonist. It’s just kinda… eh.
Y’know. Just eh.
I came out of this book knowing the protagonist on a surface level and not having any interest in the stakes at hand? I know more about the antagonist— who I have beef with for several reasons— than the actual protagonist. It’s just kinda… eh.
Y’know. Just eh.
miramgonzalezhoward's review against another edition
dark
reflective
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
4.5
shane_the_reading_rat's review against another edition
in the most polite way possible, this book is probably fine, but the fact that a school shooter gets a pov is giving me very bad vibes and i just really dont want to read that.
i guess a horror story with a school shooter in it could work if given a lot of careful work and consideration, but i feel about this the same way i feel about horror stories set at conversion therapy camps: that its a little too modern of a topic to be easily handled as horror, and that it could go so insanely wrong if not given the utmost thought and work.
i guess a horror story with a school shooter in it could work if given a lot of careful work and consideration, but i feel about this the same way i feel about horror stories set at conversion therapy camps: that its a little too modern of a topic to be easily handled as horror, and that it could go so insanely wrong if not given the utmost thought and work.