adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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: Complicated

I’ve always been told to read TJ Klune, and I’m so glad I did. An amazing cozy fantasy that lets you feel warm inside 

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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: Complicated

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

This book is just so charming and sweet! The prose is effortlessly funny, flowing, and full of personality. These characters are so loveable.  It reminded of me of how I felt discovering Neil Gaiman for the first time in middle school. One of the most pleasant reads I've had in a long time. The only downside is that the plot feels pretty thin at the start and then tries to ramp up towards the end in a way that feels pretty clunky, though the themes of oppression were consistent enough throughout to make it almost work. For example, a fairly important character gets introduced late in the game for how much she ends up mattering. This is so close to being a perfect read, though, and I really enjoyed it for what it was.

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I found the characters relatively endearing, though a little flat. However, that is the best thing that I can say about this book. The fact that the "inspiration" was Canada's residential schools is deeply problematic, and I wish I had been aware of that before picking it up. I regret not doing more research beforehand. 

The fatphobia in this book was also troubling. Repeatedly, comments are made about the main character's weight, including once where he says essentially (I can't remember the exact words) that it was a problem he could overcome if he tried hard enough. 

The degree that a book (or other piece of media) is unproblematic does not always correspond with its value, but those issues made me feel deeply uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, even on a technical level, I also felt let down. The setting was well drawn, but the story was weak, with extremely heavy-handed and forceful application of the themes. 

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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

Daniel Henning does such a great job changing his voice so much that each character sounds like a different actor. His comic timing is spot on.

Klune really nails the "children are shameless jerks" while making said jerks lovable.

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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: No

Beautiful, heartwarming book

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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: No

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