Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

25 reviews

laurenw22's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Mass/school shootings

danie_faye's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Gun violence and Homophobia

asinglebird's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

lennybiird's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Rape, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Homophobia and Racism

Minor: Religious bigotry

poopy43809's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Suicide

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Slavery

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

brookey8888's review

dark emotional 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

3.0

This was fine. There was a lot I liked about it but a lot fell flat for me. I liked the discussion about racism, bullying, sexual assault, coming out, and family trauma/heritage. I liked how slowly Jake started to accept himself and the friendships and relationships that formed as well as the strengthening of the family. I just felt the the plot and the horror aspect was boring and it didn’t keep my attention sadly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

mixxroxy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

2.75

It's tough to rate this book. It's a story about two young high schoolers both in similar situations. One of them goes down a dark path. A path of grief, loneliness and hatred. Those dark feelings build and build and burn this lonely child inside out. And when that doesn't work they turn those feelings outward using mass violence at school. His story is paralleled with another boy in a similar situation. Another boy who is lonely, confused, and ostracized. The story hinges on if this second boy will follow in the path of the first or will he make his own way in the world. The writing is dark and brutal and somewhat poetic. But it is a tough read. 

I'm rating it as low as I did because it just wasn't really a book for me. The hopelessness in it isn't exactly overwhelming but it's heavy. Also, there are some choices that are made, some odd things that feel a bit out of place in the book near the end and left me feeling a little off kilter but I don't think the author intended it that way. 

Despite these feelings, whenever I'm in the right mood, I think I'd like to read another book from Douglass in the future. If you're okay with all the trigger warnings it's an interesting spooky albeit very dark and sad book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Car accident, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

__helena__'s review

adventurous lighthearted mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Racism, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Slavery