jhbandcats'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
5.0
By the end we’re following at least three storylines, all about a great evil that’s going to release the dead into our world and the forces of good that are fighting to keep that from happening. The children are unusual - one has a separate flesh giant that smells of rotting meat but the rest are more appealing - and the monsters are indeed monstrous.
I’m delighted to report that there’s a hero cat. I’d have given this five stars even if there weren’t a hero cat, but the hero cat puts this firmly in the ten-star category.
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Gun violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Gore, and Death
clarabooksit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Sexism, Self harm, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Violence, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, and Racism
Moderate: Child death, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Death of parent, Colonisation, Ableism, and Abandonment
pickupthebook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Child death
krysley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is how I've been describing this book to people: it's a mashup of Harry Potter and X-Men with an historical fiction setting. Honestly, I think that's pretty accurate.
J.M. Miro creates some incredibly likeable and interesting characters, from Charlie to Alice to, yes, even Jacob Marber, as well as great atmosphere. However, the story gets bogged done with a back-and-forth timeline and an excessively long story. As an audiobook, I was just waiting for it to be over because it didn't seem to be moving along.
The narrator, Ben Onwukwe, has an absolutely beautiful baritone that fits perfectly in the time period. The issue is that he has atrocious voices for women and children, which often sound like gravely southern American accents for some reason. I got used to the weird voices, but it didn't exactly add to my enjoyment of the listening experience.
Moderate: Abandonment, Racism, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Violence
moiralyle's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Rape, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
breezer'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
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Kidnapping, Gore, and Fire/Fire injury
missindyrose'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? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Xenophobia, Death of parent, Child death, Self harm, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, and Addiction