Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: Tenth Anniversary Edition by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

544 reviews

secre's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

1.5

Urgh, I'm on the unpopular opinion road show again. The first ten percent of this was good. Then it fizzled until the last ten percent, which was absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, the eighty per cent in the middle was repetitive, slow, meandering and mostly without purpose. And it's obvious from the get go that we're meant to be building up to the big romantic reveal, but there's very little build up and it's just chucked at you in the last few pages instead.

I think my biggest issue throughout the novel was that it wasn't interesting, wasn't engaging and felt flat. The dialogue felt stilted, the characters didn't feel fully dimensional and there was almost no plot for the vast majority of the novel. You might get away with one of those flaws, but all three is a triple whammy without hope of reprieve. I was bored and that is one of the most fatal criticisms of a novel. It's better to make me angry than apathetic as at least I felt something.

It's a pity, because there's a solid kernel of excellence in here and the author can write, as demonstrated by the final ten per cent of the novel. It's just the bulk of this said very little in a whole lot of words whilst failing to build dynamic characters. There are some gems here, but they are floating in the dross. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Hate crime and Car accident

lonelylooper's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful sad 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Blood, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

coldsoup13's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Car accident

juliatsang's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

I would have loved this book as an emo teenager on tumblr. As an adult, I still enjoy some of the twee writing and feel emotional at *the* moments, but alas, I can tell I have grown. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Car accident, and Abandonment

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Violence

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Racism, Transphobia, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Classism

izzyhandsapologist's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Car accident, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Transphobia

bry_on_rye's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

elenabluenette's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Hate crime, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Transphobia, Medical content, Car accident, Murder, and War

Minor: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Death, Blood, Grief, and Lesbophobia

streebela's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, Grief, Car accident, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

crusoe's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

4.5

Positives. Sometimes you have  book cravings for a specific genre and sometimes that genre is 'Queer coming-of-age story about second-generation immigrant teens that asks deep philosophical questions about selfhood and death'. (Also see: Cemetery Boys, They Both Die at the End.) I can tell you: this novel delivered. Dante and Ari's relationship is as complicated as it is sweet, and as they each grow into fully realised human being, they explore what that means for their relationship as friends and as more than friends.

I also really like the setting of this book which takes place in 1987/1988. It explains why Ari drives the type of truck that he does, Dante's fear of not being accepted for his sexuality, the fact Ari and Dante need to send each other letters when Ari is away and the usage of some outdated terms. It makes the novel stand out from novels like it while it was one of the first books in its genre.

Negatives. Because this novel was one of the first in its genre, its concept and execution is not always as intriguing as stories like it. While poetic, the language used is rather simple (which makes sense for a YA book) and that helped me race through the pages. Really, all of these things are personal preference, I really enjoyed this book.

Quote. "'(Ari) I love swimming.' (Dante) 'I know,' I said.  'I love swimming,' he said again. He was quiet for a little while. And then he said: 'I love swimming- and you.' I didn't say anything. 'Swimming and you, Ari. Those are the things I love the most.'"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, and Car accident

Moderate: Bullying