Reviews tagging 'Incest'

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

40 reviews

herelieshenry's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

3.75

This is a tough, but well-written, book. I’m a firm believer in the idea that if a child is old enough to experience something, they’re old enough to learn about it in an age-appropriate manner; that extends to the very difficult topics being dealt with here that, unfortunately, children experience every day, from mass violence to familial abuse to bullying and discrimination. On top of that, I think Douglass is genuinely very talented at writing Young Adult Horror, and these combine into a piece of art that I think is both accessible and very well-done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Violence, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty, Gore, Physical abuse, and Suicide attempt

petite_madeline's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Jake Livingston is different from all his classmates. And not just because he's one of the few Black students at his mostly-white private school. He's also the only one who can see the ghosts that wander through campus reliving their deaths.

I initially picked up this book because I saw people tagging it as dark academia and I was excited to finally see some diverse representation in the dark academia niche! This story takes place at a private school with themes of death/mystery, and there are setting descriptions that definitely fall in line with DA vibes. However I think that this book would also be enjoyable to people who love paranormal and/or queer horror.

This book ended up being way more intense and thematically heavy than I was expecting from YA, but I loved it! These are important conversations that need to be had: Black/queer intersectionality, gun violence in schools, gender norms/toxic masculinity, family acceptance/support, ancestral connections. It's a short book but there's so much packed in these pages!

Aside from the literary themes, Douglass also included beautifully descriptive and cinematic scenes that pull readers into a thoughtfully built paranormal world. Unfortunately, I struggle with slight aphantasia, meaning I have trouble creating mental images, so I ended up a bit lost during these highly visual scenes. I am jealous of anyone with a strong "mind's eye" who can thoroughly enjoy the detailed world that Douglass created.

The trigger warnings listed below may spoil some elements of the story, but please read if you may be sensitive to some of these potential triggers.

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Heavy trigger warnings for: Racism, homophobia, mass shootings, graphic violence, suicide, incest (attempted), sexual assault (attempted), child abuse (physical and emotional), animal abuse (bugs), fire

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Suicide

directorpurry's review

adventurous challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Incest and Toxic friendship

elysianbud's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

The entire second half of the book was just the author ripping my heart out of my chest while I sobbed violently. I've literally just finished it and I think I have a headache from dehydration...

Great characters and good plot. Love to see assholes get their due. Author sets atmosphere brilliantly. 

(Also the cover for this is gorgeous!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

lavuli's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Sexual assault, and Mass/school shootings

sapphire_mayo's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Murder

saurahsaurus's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

I really enjoyed this book, but didn’t expect it to be so violent. I loved its lore and strangeness, the themes of identity and being othered. And I just want to protect main character 🥹💜

I understand the role that the violence played in the book, and it fit. Just wasn’t prepared for it going in.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Cursing, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, Police brutality, and Abandonment

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

jiji_'s review

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I have to start with the content warnings because they feature so heavily: school shooting and death, child sexual abuse, self hatred, homophobia and racism. If you can take these themes on, then this is a decent read. It's a true YA, borderline middle reader with mature themes. There are definitely some truly horror-esque moments, but you'll need some suspension of disbelief for the kind of fantasy elements. While these topics are difficult to read and stomach, they're still so important. I wouldn't recommend this to middle grade or teens without some real debriefing with a parent or teacher. As an adult, give it a go for some genuine moments of creepiness and story telling! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Racism, Sexual assault, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

whatchareadingheather's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

This is a sparkling debut that is equal parts fun and anxiety inducing. The YA aspect of the book is VERY YA and might be a little off-putting for readers picking this up for the horror aspect, but I WILL say that Douglass's descriptive writing does an impeccable job with making you feel like you're in Jake's shoes as a teenage Medium that it's easy to read past the YA-ness of it. Hoping that Blumhouse gets their hands on this one for a future adaptation! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Suicide, and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Child abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Murder