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_alyssar_'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
kaziaroo'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? Yes
3.5
It's a shame to see that children's stories still rely on fatphobia and making fun of "ugly" people for humour, and there was a lot of stereotyping of what "good" and "evil" people look like – although a lot of this is critiqued by the narrative, there were some blurred lines: for example, while we are shown that being mean to Dot about her fatness is bad, the author also mentions her size nearly every time she appears, and her size and appetite makes up most of her characterisation. Thankfully, there wasn't a hooked nose in sight, unlike in the film.
While the plot dragged a bit in places, I really enjoyed the characters in this book and loved the portrayal of a character's descent into madness and the protagonists' respective identity crises. It was a really fun, if dark, read.
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness
chrisljm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury