Reviews with content warning for Death - Open Throat

This was a super quick audiobook.

I decided to read the book because I saw it recommended on book tok and I really thought the premise sounded really interesting.

It was at times funny and at times dark. I think that reading from the mountain lions perspective was kind of fresh and interesting.

The way the humans of LA were portrayed was funny and actually fairly honest. I think that the way homelessness in LA was explored was FASCINATING. It’s truly a story you could have only gotten from the mountain lion’s perspective, so I thought it was very clever to explore that storyline and piece together how truly horrible humans are toward each other.

The storyline with little slayer was a little fantastical, but I think the way that experience contrasted with the ending was a good touch. For such a short book, it’s a pretty powerful story with a REALLY powerful (suspenseful) ending.

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starbits140's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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mhh831666's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

this is PERFECTION. the cougar is so damn endearing and eloquent and believable as a storyteller despite being unable to express himself with words. I highlighted entire chapters at a time (granted the chapters were quite brief but still). also made me hate humans even more than usual but they for sure deserve it (in this book and irl tbh). long live big cats everywhere!

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krisowa's review against another edition

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adventurous funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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alligatortoast's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This was an interesting read for sure, with a very unique premise and writing style. The book is from the perspective of a mountain lion, with long run on sentences with no punctuation throughout the entire novel. There's no paragraphs, so you'll be flying through the pages; you could easily finish this book in one sitting. I will say though, the description of this book is wildly misleading. The blurb describes the main character as a "queer" mountain lion and leads you to believe this will be a main theme of the book, but it simply isn't. The only things queer about it are

a scene where the lion witnesses two men having sex in a cave, or as he calls it, "connecting." He then reflects on a male mountain lion from his past that he would have liked to "connect" with in this way. Also later in the book he is taken in by a girl who names him "Heckit" and refers to him as "her" and "goddess", even after discovering he's male. The lion just goes with it, but I never read it as him exploring his gender identity. So labeling this as a queer or lgbtqia+ story seems like a stretch and then some.

Besides that, I really enjoyed the story for what it was. It was an ambitious undertaking, and I think in some ways it succeeded, but it also left much to be desired. It has some good commentary on homelessness, human nature, and other topics, but it never gets too deep or preachy. It's funny, it's unique, and it's sad. If you're looking for a happy book, this is not it. Without spoiling anything,

you find out at the end of the book what the title means. And once you do it seems obvious.

Overall, it was a fast, fun read. One that I would pick up again for sure. I got this from the library but am considering buying it for myself when the price goes down. If you're curious about it, I say pick it up!

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hannahrogers's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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scifi_rat's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Plot: 4★
Prose: 5★
Pace: 4.5★
Concept/Execution: 4.5★/5★
Characters: 5★
Worldbuilding: 5★
Ending: 4★

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