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embersbooknook'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? It's complicated
4.5
Neil is an inarguably talented author - his prose, storytelling style, pacing, plots, character development, etc. are all fantastic. This book was dark and gritty and real in a way that I think made it better, even if it was harder to read because of it.
I typically don’t stray into the horror genre because I am an HSP, and my sensitivity to disturbing content makes it hard for me to look past that and enjoy the deeper meanings and content therein.
For fellow sensitive readers, I would say …don’t read it before going to sleep. But otherwise, if you can stomach some violence and disturbing ideas, it is a very well crafted and thought-provoking tale that has a lot to say about a lot of these that we ought to talk more about.
While people don’t literally fall through the cracks in our world, they may as well do, frankly, for all the mind that we more fortunate folks pay to them. The houseless, the sick, those living in poverty, hungry, etc. - our society casts so many away, wishing them to be unseen as Neil portrays them in this book.
This book challenged me to try take the time to see people, and not look away just because I feel guilty that I have enough to eat and a warm place to sleep.
I loved Door, the Marquis de Carabas, and Richard…so many complex characters that have a very real, flawed nature to them, which makes them leap off the page all the more.
Neil is brilliant, this book definitely makes me look forward to continuing on with more of Neil’s works in the future.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse and Child death
themissyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
ratthegnome'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? It's complicated
4.5
Minor: Body horror, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
quarkie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
What I liked: I loved the writing style. It's funny, punny, and manages to be light-hearted about very serious topics. The idea of a London made up of people who fell through the cracks is interesting, and I do think he achieves his stated (in the forward) goal of writing an "Alice in Wonderland" or "Narnia" for adults. He includes so many details in his writing that help build the world, and they all end up mattering in the end. His world is compelling because it is both so unfamiliar and so familiar at the same time, and there is just enough description to easily transport you there, but not so much to bore you.
What I didn't like: While the characters are well-defined and stay true to their characterization throughout the plot, I didn't find them that interesting and I couldn't bring myself to like them. The main character is a white man who starts out as a walking doormat, and through his trials becomes less of a doormat but something of an asshole. The supporting characters, who are the only female and non-white characters, are the ones who are actually driving the plot and end up saving the day, but they are written as side characters, and this story is clearly not about them. There is nothing about their happily-ever-after, and they are not the ones who get to live on in infamy for their heroic deeds (though maybe that's because they've already achieved that previously?). The villains are largely evil-for-the-sake-of-evil, and don't have any other driving force.
The main takeaways of this story felt pretty trite. If you go through struggle you can change, ordinary people can be the hero with the help of their friends, the real world is not what it seems and maybe not what it's cracked up to be, etc. I'm not sure I took away anything particularly deep.
Overall, it was an unoriginal read that was still somewhat enjoyable, but I'm happy to be done.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Trafficking
breamfish1138'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? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Genocide, Sexual assault, and Vomit
vorpaldormouse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
mreequalsmc2'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Alcohol, and Classism
kcmg710'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
4.75
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Torture, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Vomit, and Alcohol
galexy_brain'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? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Abandonment, and Alcohol
chronicacademia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism