Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Man o' War

Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

tinytrashqueen's review

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challenging 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

4.0

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mattyb's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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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arlangrey17's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

Cory's style is the one I like least of the two in Once and Future and I was a little wary going into this one, but I slowly got used to it over time in this book. It was raw and honest, and I related to River and their story so much.

Also, more trans swimming books please!!

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betweentheshelves's review

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dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

I'm honestly not 100% sure how to rate this book because the beginning was a bit all over the place for me. The overall pacing of the book felt off, and at times, it was a little difficult to follow what was happening. There were some time jumps, and they weren't necessarily consistent, which definitely made the story difficult to follow a lot of the time.

But! I do think this is an important story. River is not the most likeable main character, especially at the beginning. They're very sarcastic, guarded, and have definitely taken on the beliefs of their small town in Ohio. Like, at times, it's painful to read their inner thoughts and how they interact with other people. But I also think this was kind of the point? There are a lot of trans people who do grow up in these situations, and McCarthy gives them a voice in this.

My favorite aspect of this was probably the core relationship, which wasn't always healthy but still felt realisitc. You're rooting for River and Indy, and you get to see how they both evolve throughout the book. By the end, I had come to love them both, and the book was difficult to put down.

Despite my mixed feelings about the pacing and the voice, I get why this one is getting buzz. If you're looking for an unflinching, a bit dark look at a trans experience, I'd recommend picking this one up.

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