A review by anakaur
The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

dark sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.25

I fell in love with Jake as a character. He was just so sweet. The story itself touched on important topics like race, being gay, and the intersection of those. I normally can't get into YA, but Jake was written as being quite mature for his age so he didn't read like an angsty teen. 

There were a few parts where I was confused by the magic system. I was really invested in the characters so I didn't mind too much. I have some other more spoiler filled complaints with some of the story, those are at the end. 

I really recommend this read if you are a younger person or someone that really likes YA. The subject matter does get dark. Watch out for the trigger warnings. 

 
Maybe I'm awful but I almost didn't care for Sawyers parts. I almost wanted his story to get darker so that I could be conflicted about feeling sorry for school shooter. 

The ending with Jake and Allister made me so happy. I really am over gay tragedy. I want more happy endings in rainbow relationships.
 
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