Reviews with content warning for Death - Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

126 reviews

shirarweiss's review

challenging 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? Yes

5.0

This is the most beautiful book I’ve ever read. Ari is so raw and I feel like we share a soul. Ari tells me it is okay to love, to cry, to feel it all. This book is all that it is to be human. This book will live in my heart forever. I am grateful to have read it.

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kirsten_marie's review against another edition

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2.25

I had so high hopes for this one because I loved the first book so much. It had this special atmosphere to it, and I couldn't keep myself from caring deeply for those boys and their story. sadly, I feel all that is lost after reading the sequel.

From the beginning, the writing felt awkward and as the author has tried to compose some beautiful text, but completely missed the mark in the process. It is an extreme case of tell and not show. It felt like watching a bad play. The characters only play their roles and never feel like fully developed souls. There is little to no emotional build-up in serious scenes either. It lacks subtlety and depth. Only on a number of pages I could count on my fingers did I feel invested in the story. I would also argue that there are several very illogical choices and events. 90% of it's entirety is also direct dialogue, which I find unbearably dull.

Should have DNFed this one, but I'm too f*ing stubborn.

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carterm00's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

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tacoshark's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-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? No

2.25

Sigh. I’m mad at this book for existing. I enjoyed the first book but this one - utterly unnecessary and so sentimental that it tipped over into self-indulgence. There were several points where I was literally talking back to the book, usually saying “wtaf?!” It desperately needed editing or at least some sense of purpose. If you liked the first one, maybe stop there.

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lambclown's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

3.0

Not everything has to be so profound and i found it really unrealistic the way everyone talked to each other. too poetic. but im also a jaded old bitch

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annesophie01's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad

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

4.75

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pkc's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I fell in love with Ari and Dante when they set out to discover the secrets of the universe and I had measured hopes here. I’ve been burned when it comes to sequels that weren’t necessarily pre-planned and how they treat their characters and advance their story. This was equally wrenching and beautiful. There’s a fair amount of tragedy, and framing it in the context of the height it the AIDS pandemic grounded it in some much needed (albeit sobering) realism. This book is accessibly esoteric - grand thoughts that everyone can relate to but might not have the words to give context and light to. I certainly wouldn’t have the words or ability. The story ends definitively, but do I want a third instalment? You bet your sweet bippy I do.

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