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kiwibird's review against another edition
5.0
On the surface, it's a vampire novel, but once you look below this, it's really a book about the (perhaps unavoidable) evil of humanity and being an outsider in a society that wasn't made to accept you. It also had a lot of unexpected queer themes—deep down, the narrative of the main character Oskar is just the story of a young boy coming to terms with his sexuality. The character of Eli, the young vampire Oskar falls in love with, is also fascinating. The text refers to Eli intermittently as she and he, and though she insists multiple times that she's "not a girl", she still chooses to present herself femininely. It's very easy to read her as a transfeminine nonbinary character, even though these terms weren't commonplace when the book was written.
I don't want to say that this novel is completely unproblematic, especially when it comes to its queer representation. I won't go into much detail so as to avoid spoilers, but there are several harmful stereotypes employed in the narrative, and Eli's transness can easily be seen as something that was forced upon her rather than a choice she made.
Despite these criticisms, I thoroughly enjoyed Let the Right One In and the way it grappled with heavy themes. This is definitely not a book for the faint of heart (be sure to check content warnings for this one), but if you're interested a good vampire story where the humans are the real villains, a portrait of 80s Stockholm suburbs, or a horror-genre exploration of growing up queer, you should pick it up.
{Note: I read the original Swedish version, so I can't comment on how the English translation holds up.}
Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, Blood, Death, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Suicide, and Animal death
Minor: Racism and Alcoholism
amandalove2bme's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Vomit, Violence, Child death, Murder, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Bullying, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Alcohol, Body horror, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
klimtsonian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Torture, Murder, Sexual violence, Medical content, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Self harm, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Body horror and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Addiction
teaandtales1's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Violence, Animal death, Bullying, Gore, Murder, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Suicide, Sexual violence, Addiction, and Drug use
morebedsidebooks's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Murder, Blood, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Alcoholism, Animal death, Car accident, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking
Minor: Racism, Homophobia, Cancer, and Death of parent
Also contains scenes of genital mutilation and substance abuse.amoremeg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Homophobia, Vomit, and Excrement
gatsbyonabudget's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Violence, Body horror, Murder, and Pedophilia
sargasso_c's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Sexual assault, Violence, Torture, Medical content, Bullying, Murder, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Gore, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Suicide, Terminal illness, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
Minor: Excrement, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, and Mental illness
maddireads13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, Toxic friendship, Blood, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Pedophilia, Death, Bullying, Sexual violence, and Rape
kingsamong's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape