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cluttered_mind's review
- 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
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, and Racism
Minor: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Physical abuse
sierrabowers'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
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Fatphobia, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Violence and Cannibalism
songofsummer'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Colonisation, and Classism
weepy_iskwew's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
- Linus is sweet, but ultimately the most boring character to explore the world through. Everything happens to him, and he does very little until the very end. He begins with certain beliefs and standards, but they are so comically ‘bad’ and he lets go of them so quickly it’s a wonder he hadn’t gone through this journey already. He’s kind of a nothing character to me which is unfortunate.
- Also, Linus succeeds in the face of this supposedly crazy oppressive government department; which is a great success for the story but felt a little too easily resolved for my preference. Also, the resolution of the confrontation with the villagers felt a little unrealistic to me.
- Linus (and a few others) hold problematic beliefs due to ignorance and once the ignorance bubble is ‘popped’ through exposure, the problematic beliefs and behaviors can and should be forgiven. Honestly, this is a perspective that many of my Elders would agree with and teach themselves. But, the radical side of me wants to say that ignorance is a choice, and not an excuse despite the forces that might be in place to keep you there. Someday, I’ll be as gracious as my Elders are lol.
- Ultimately, there is no deeper analysis of the system and how it results in the children having no family or community to care for them. There are brief mentions of a deeper history, like boarding schools, and some of the individual stories of the children and how they came to this orphanage. However, it seemed like all the children were in care because of legitimate reasons (aka their parents were dead or presumed dead; to be fair some related to mistreatment by the non-magical government). However, the reasons why children were brought into care during the 60s scoop were much more nuanced, and a direct result of residential schools, racist policies, and systemic discrimination resulting in systemic poverty.
Ultimately, I think in favour of whimsy, and ‘feel-good’ story, Klune left out many of the deeper, more meaningful, and challenging parts of the history that he was inspired by. Which is a choice that an author is allowed to make, and one that some may like. But not really one that makes me excited.
That being said, I do wonder if some of this deeper story could be explored in the sequel. I’d reread this story, and I’ll be adding the sequel to my wishlist. However, I wasn’t so charmed by the whimsy or so convinced that this author has something significant to say that I’ll be rushing out to get it on release.
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Cultural appropriation
arysuh'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
5.0
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Racism
bluedilly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Death is wonderful to music. It makes the singers sound like ghosts.
When I started reading this, I didn't expect it would take me seven months to finish! You might wonder why I stuck with it for so long, but it was nice to have a book like this around, something light and simple, easy to pick up and easy to put down, especially for those tedious waits at bus stops when you still need to be half aware of your surroundings. There were a few things about Klune's writing style and worldbuilding which didn't hit the spot for me, but I dearly loved all of the children, and Linus and Arthur were quite sweet together.
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Fatphobia, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
emptzuu's review
The author himself acknowledged this in a quote:
“I didn’t want to co-opt, you know, a history that wasn’t mine. I’m a cis white dude, so I can’t ever really go through something like what those children had to go through. So I sat down and I was like, I’m just going to write this as a fantasy.”
Despite being fully aware of the sensitive nature of the history he was touching upon, Klune created a story that trivializes the real and ongoing suffering of Indigenous children and their communities. These children were forcibly separated from their families and subjected to torture, sexual abuse, and murder as part of cultural genocide. Klune profits from a narrative that glosses over the severe and lasting impacts of these atrocities, which continued into the mid-1990s, on Indigenous people who still face systemic oppression today.
Additionally, the book is quite depressing. It follows a lonely man with a miserable life, working in a toxic environment, and disliked by everyone around him—including his cat, boss, coworkers, neighbors, and even the bus driver. He lives in a perpetually rainy city and perpetually forgets his umbrella. This gloomy narrative is masked in overly sweet language, lacking any nuance or real consideration of historical and systemic oppression.
Graphic: Genocide and Racism
akswhy'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: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent
iane_reads'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
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, and Gaslighting
Minor: Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
emmagreenwood'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: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism