Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

87 reviews

actioncat's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Cancer, Violence, Bullying, and Death of parent

gellyreads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Abandonment, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness

cm02's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Terminal illness

Minor: Death of parent

iane_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Bullying, Medical content, Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Hate crime

Moderate: Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Blood, Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Child death

valreadssometimes's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This book shattered me into millions of tiny pieces. But, by then end, I felt whole. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, and Cancer

saskiahill's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Cancer, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Violence and Grief

kimmykelly's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Terminal illness

zoe_werdy's review

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

This book ripped my heart out and genuinely made me sob but what a beautiful and shattering story of grief through the eyes of a child. My copy was beautifully illustrated as well which propelled my whole heart into the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Medical content, Terminal illness, Death, and Medical trauma

seforana's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Medical content, Terminal illness, Vomit, Cancer, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, and Grief

tifftastic87's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.5

Synopsis
Conor's mom is sick, like really sick, and everyone knows it is the end, except for him. When his mom is admitted to the hospital, a strange thing happens with the yew tree in the backyard. It comes to Conor at night and tells him there will be an exchange of tales, three from the monster and one from Conor. That's when things start to spiral.

Overt Grief
Lately, I have really been about stories with grief. This one really hit the mark. I know this is a middle grade (maybe early YA) book, but damn the imagery - both the words and the art - really expressed how Conor was feeling. It was frustrating, reading this as an adult, and seeing none of the other adults be honest with him about what was happening. We constantly underestimate children's abilities to understand the world around them and expect that they don't feel emotions how we do, when they are usually feeling them much, much stronger.

Story Length
Honestly, I kind of wish this were a longer book. I would have like a little more detail in the monster's stories, a little more back story on some of the characters, and perhaps even a short epilogue. That's my major qualm, is the story felt rushed when it didn't need to be and I felt it should have given space to some of the themes that required a little bit more.

Content Warnings
Detailed descriptions of bullying, grief, loss of a parent, cancer, and medical situations.
Moderate descriptions of violence. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Cancer, Terminal illness, Bullying, and Death of parent

Moderate: Blood and Violence

Minor: Murder