bryn_cavin's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Gore
Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
kylietokar's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those books that I'm thrilled I read, but I'm still not actually sure how I feel about it. The premise is X-Men meets Umbrella Academy meets Series of Unfortunate Events (supernatural old guy adopts a bunch of orphans and abuses them into developing their own unique powers). Hawkins does not bother to develop any depth of character in any of the orphans except Carolyn, whose mood swings are so wild it's hard to believe she's a cohesive personality.
Conversely, the mortal pawn she manipulates into doing her bidding throughout this story is so gosh darn loveable it hurts. He's compassionate, he's rash, he's thoughtful, he's resourceful, he's angry, he's human. He is worth reading this book on his own.
The plot itself, and the world that Hawkins craftily chooses to build only in pieces (leave things up to the imagination and all that), is fantastical, science fictiony, and probably would translate well to the screen. But it's also horrifically violent (& borderline insulting to victims of sexual assault at a few points) and sometimes frustratingly vast.
I recommend reading this book, for sure, almost just because I need more people to experience the bizarreness that exists within these pages. But go at your own risk!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual assault
evandaniel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Suicide attempt, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Torture, Body horror, Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Minor: Self harm, Kidnapping, Drug use, Abandonment, Vomit, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Xenophobia, Genocide, Injury/injury detail, War, Racism, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
amelyn19's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Death, Child death, Blood, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Self harm, Rape, Murder, Injury/injury detail, War, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, and Forced institutionalization
tew_11's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, Animal cruelty, Violence, Sexual violence, Suicide, Animal death, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Mental illness, Gun violence, and Injury/injury detail
Minor: Car accident
pansypantaloons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Injury/injury detail, War, Rape, Torture, Sexual assault, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Death of parent and Sexual assault
meg_elyse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Rape, Animal death, Body horror, Self harm, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Gore, Suicide, Murder, Physical abuse, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Drug use, War, Animal death, Confinement, Excrement, Self harm, Rape, Torture, and Vomit
tea_overload's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Physical abuse, Gore, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, and Suicide
soaphest's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Torture, Death, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Drug use, and Addiction
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
ceridwyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Injury/injury detail, Physical abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gore, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Slavery, and Violence