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erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I tried to pick up a copy of this one as a graphic novel, as it was listed as on the shelves (at Christchurch South Library), but an unhelpful librarian refuse to help me track it down after I had flipped through everything on the shelves and come up wanting.. so I threw up my arms in agitation and just downloaded the audiobook. It was probably a wise decision in the long run.
The story focuses on a teen who is brought up in Florida and who has a close relationship with his Jewish grandfather who survived WWII. The man tells him fanciful stories and and shows him photographs of a children's home where he was raised with kids with special powers. The photographs look fake and a bit dodgy, so nobody believes his stories of special powers and monsters, assuming that they are the mentally divergent accommodations of a traumatised holocaust survivor. As the old man gets increasingly paranoid and the family are considering putting him in a care facility, his grandson goes to check on him, only to find that one of the monsters has got him.
Once his therapist okays the trip, he follows a set of clues in his grandfather's last words, and he travels with his father to a remote island in the UK where his father wishes to observe the local birdlife. There he puts together a puzzle that brings him into contact with people his grandfather once knew, and entangles him in further adventure.
Being set in Florida I notice that there is quite a bit of narrative about the treatment of the elderly. There is a focus on listening to the opinions of older people, and the ways that they are treated in society (there are a lot of rest homes and retirees in Florida, so this follows). I also encountered the term "lenai" for the first time. Intuiting that it was a type of verandah, I looked it up and realised that this common feature of houses in tropical climes was not unknown to me.. my Uncle has one similar to the pictures that I see in an internet web-search, and he lives in Australia.
The story is interesting, deals with alternate timelines and portals, and has a little bit of teen kissing, secret monsters, shape changers, levitating and snorkelling, and some stuff with common or garden necromancy, scary monsters, and sheep poo. This is the first part of a bigger story so it's not surprising that the end of it is a bit of a cliffhanger. I'd like to know what happens next.
The story focuses on a teen who is brought up in Florida and who has a close relationship with his Jewish grandfather who survived WWII. The man tells him fanciful stories and and shows him photographs of a children's home where he was raised with kids with special powers. The photographs look fake and a bit dodgy, so nobody believes his stories of special powers and monsters, assuming that they are the mentally divergent accommodations of a traumatised holocaust survivor. As the old man gets increasingly paranoid and the family are considering putting him in a care facility, his grandson goes to check on him, only to find that one of the monsters has got him.
Once his therapist okays the trip, he follows a set of clues in his grandfather's last words, and he travels with his father to a remote island in the UK where his father wishes to observe the local birdlife. There he puts together a puzzle that brings him into contact with people his grandfather once knew, and entangles him in further adventure.
Being set in Florida I notice that there is quite a bit of narrative about the treatment of the elderly. There is a focus on listening to the opinions of older people, and the ways that they are treated in society (there are a lot of rest homes and retirees in Florida, so this follows). I also encountered the term "lenai" for the first time. Intuiting that it was a type of verandah, I looked it up and realised that this common feature of houses in tropical climes was not unknown to me.. my Uncle has one similar to the pictures that I see in an internet web-search, and he lives in Australia.
The story is interesting, deals with alternate timelines and portals, and has a little bit of teen kissing, secret monsters, shape changers, levitating and snorkelling, and some stuff with common or garden necromancy, scary monsters, and sheep poo. This is the first part of a bigger story so it's not surprising that the end of it is a bit of a cliffhanger. I'd like to know what happens next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War
Moderate: Genocide, Gore, Excrement, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Kidnapping
dev921's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
elizanarta's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, and Abandonment
the_books_music_life's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The story follows Jacob, a normal 16 year old boy living in Florida. When tragedy strikes, Jacob is left reeling as he struggles to come to terms with a horrible tragedy and the many secrets of his grandfathers past. As Jacob is thrust into a world he doesn't understand he's faced with secrets, dangers, and a choice.
I absolutely loved this book.
The way Jacob grows from the beginning of the book to the ending was done in a way that felt organic. You go to see the choices he made and how those choices changed him. The character growth of Jacob is one of my favorite things about the book.
The secondary characters always served a purpose they were never just there for the plots sake or as a wall for Jacob to talk to. They had their own thoughts, ideas, feelings, stories and that is something I love. When you have such a big cast of characters it can be hard for them to feel like real and not just someone for the main character to talk to for 3 seconds and be done with them.
The story was fast paced, exciting and kept me hooked from the first page. The pictures throughout the book help add a creepy factor to the story without going overboard.
The only thing I didn't like about the book was how long the chapters were. The chapter were so very long and that is my only critique of the book.
I would recommend the audiobook route as the narrator is very good and made reading this even more enjoyable.
I absolutely loved this book.
The way Jacob grows from the beginning of the book to the ending was done in a way that felt organic. You go to see the choices he made and how those choices changed him. The character growth of Jacob is one of my favorite things about the book.
The secondary characters always served a purpose they were never just there for the plots sake or as a wall for Jacob to talk to. They had their own thoughts, ideas, feelings, stories and that is something I love. When you have such a big cast of characters it can be hard for them to feel like real and not just someone for the main character to talk to for 3 seconds and be done with them.
The story was fast paced, exciting and kept me hooked from the first page. The pictures throughout the book help add a creepy factor to the story without going overboard.
The only thing I didn't like about the book was how long the chapters were. The chapter were so very long and that is my only critique of the book.
I would recommend the audiobook route as the narrator is very good and made reading this even more enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping and War
bombings from war,nutmegandpumpkin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.75
I tried to read this book a long time ago and never finished it. When I saw a CD audio set of it at a garage sale for only 50 cents, I thought I’d try again and I am SO GLAD I did! If you have trouble reading the book, I’d definitely recommend giving the audiobook a go before giving up.
I absolutely loved the witty writing and narrator of this book. The atmosphere was the perfect mix of spooky and whimsical. The plot was so intriguing and I’m always a sucker for a group of kids with special abilities.
Note: although listed as a “horror” book I wouldn’t call it that and think it might give people the wrong expectations. The horror is more so a spooky undertone to the main whimsical and strange fantasy.
I absolutely loved the witty writing and narrator of this book. The atmosphere was the perfect mix of spooky and whimsical. The plot was so intriguing and I’m always a sucker for a group of kids with special abilities.
Note: although listed as a “horror” book I wouldn’t call it that and think it might give people the wrong expectations. The horror is more so a spooky undertone to the main whimsical and strange fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and War
Minor: Child death
the animal death is pretty explicit but it’s only really one scene and easily skippabletays_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Excrement, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Ableism, Infidelity, and Cannibalism
filo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gun violence
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Genocide and Antisemitism
raisan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, and Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping and Stalking
alisazhup's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Blood, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Gun violence, Mental illness, Excrement, and Antisemitism