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amandadevoursbooks'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? Yes
3.75
Adam is a warlock who has very tenuous relationships with his family. He's looking for his dad who left the family a long time ago and he's pretty certain is now making objects from magical people's bones. Get the text from his brother that his sister-in-law is ill and he goes to Denver to try to figure out what's going on.
His family is never really accepted him for who he is both as a warlock and as a gay man. His brother has done everything he can in his power to exercise the white trashness from his personality and his public image.
In this world we've got Fey, leprechauns, dragons, and much more. It feels like a lived in world.
There's a love triangle. Adam's ex-boyfriend who dumped him without telling him and Adam's new love interest who is a cop that Adam saved.
All in all, it was a fun read that touched on growing up gay in rural America, family Dynamics and family secrets, and becoming who you were meant to be.
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Homophobia and Abandonment
tifftastic87'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? Yes
4.5
Adam was born in a trailer and being gay in OK was rough on him, but then add in that he is descended from witches and has a touch of magic unlike theirs. He has a rocky relationship with his family, both due to his sexual orientation and his magical one, who had him committed in high school.
This book focuses on Adam's relationships, his romantic ones, his familial ones, and his magical one. This is a story of a traumatized youth healing and finding his path in life while fighting monsters.
Adam is amazingly well adjusted. He communicates his feelings, even if he struggles to do so, asks for help when he needs it and doesn't do the typical chosen one nonsense, even though he was literally chosen by not one but two powerfu magical beings. He also is aware that his use of his magical abilities creates a power imbalance between him and the love interest and is careful not to abuse that.
This was a fun and sad listen, and I am definitely going to be reading or listening to the rest.
There were a few things I wasn't a fan of,
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Homophobia, Car accident, Alcohol, and Classism
lizzzardbean'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Body horror and Miscarriage
Minor: Homophobia
booksthatburn's review against another edition
Graphic: Gore and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Torture, and Excrement
xandra_'s review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
gooseturnover'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia and Forced institutionalization
pvbobrien'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? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Child abuse and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Drug use, Infertility, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Alcohol
directorpurry'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
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
ciaranessa'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
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Miscarriage
The things I tagged for trigger warnings are by no means an exhaustive listmercurial_rosie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There were large portions of it that felt like they dragged on and I didn’t particularly care for the copaganda that surfaced or the problematic and tired tropes that creeped in, but I did find myself hooked and interested.
I think Slayton does a really good job of world building and creating characters that are sympathetic and compelling.
Graphic: Child abuse and Homophobia
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Miscarriage