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cnannery19's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Cancer, Medical content, Pregnancy, Bullying, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, Self harm, and Sexual assault
maisierosereads's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the pacing of this book, with small details being revealed as the story goes on and Jasper continues his investigation - through his observations, conversations, and memories. While I did predict some parts of the big reveal quite early on in the book, I still enjoyed the journey to that point of the story.
This book is not a lighthearted read - it contains many difficult and challenging themes in addition to the murder in the title, as shown in my list of content warnings below. However, it is infused with humour to balance this - not at Jasper's expense, but from his perspective (often at how ridiculous the neurotypical adults around him are).
Although Jasper repeatedly faces ableism from other characters, and is often misunderstood or underestimated, I did feel the author made it clear that Jasper's perspective is important and that he should be valued. She also uses Jasper's internal monologue to counter some harmful viewpoints - such as the beliefs that Jasper should not stim, or engage in his special interests, or talk about his synaesthesia. Several of the other characters also develop throughout the book so that they have a better understanding of Jasper by the end. Of course, it would have been wonderful if more of them had a positive view of Jasper from the start as well as an accurate understanding of autism; but it is clear that the author put considerable effort into her research to try to make this representation of neurodivergence as accurate as possible despite it not being own-voices.
I would love to read more mysteries from neurodiverse perspectives, and always welcome suggestions!
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Vomit
More information about content warnings - no character names given. Adult/minor relationship: