Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

92 reviews

bellascho's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Violence, Medical content, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

matthewmclane's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Blood

uselesspirateraven's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cursing and Death

Minor: Physical abuse, Terminal illness, and Medical content

vintea's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Much like Connor, I wasn't very invested in this story at first. I stubbornly dragged myself through the pages to fulfill a page quota for my class, only for something to 'click' halfway through, and I snowballed to the end in one sitting, only wiping my tears enough to see the next paragraph. I pity and envy anybody who has the misfortune of reading this while they're actively grieving. I planned to give it away, but now feel the need to lock it away like a cyanide pill in case of an emergency. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent

medini_l's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Death of parent

wathav's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

This broke me
I've been shattered and numbed
I feel like I need to stare at the ceiling in absolute silence, cry, and just think

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Grief

Minor: Violence, Blood, and Medical content

roe_bookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I’m crying. Please read it. But careful of trigger warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent

klsreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A Monster Calls is beautiful and devastating. This is a short story about truth, grief, and living with conflicting truths. For a kids'/YA book, it's absolutely brutal. The art is a perfect edition to this dark, modern, occasionally funny fairy tale. What can we control when monsters inevitably come knocking? Are they monsters at all?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Abandonment and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit

aryn456's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I've first found out about this story through the movie, a most brilliant adaptation of the work. But the book was much better, in every conceivable way. From the impeccable writing style, to the twisted illustrations, the deeply complex characters and their relationships - a must read for any age group! 
The book greatly goes into detail about the complexity of human nature, in a way that even children will understand and learn. And yet it does not get boring for anyone older than a child. 
This story has brought me to tears twice now, and I am certain that it will do so again and again and again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Mental illness, Violence, Vomit, and Medical content

karwc's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Medical content