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redstringraven's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
*clapping hands with every other word* i don't know where to begin with praising this booook. i love this book SO muuuuuch.
the prose is excellent and brimming with personality. there are so many little word choices or details i adore, or descriptions of a character's mannerisms that made me grin or giggle or just kind of wiggle around in my chair. the dialogue between characters throughout is so enjoyable.
i love the island. i love linus. i love zoe so much. i love arthur and i love all the kids;i'd sell a man's soul to lucy for one corn chip . they each have their own voice and presence throughout the book, and i love the gentle changes and shifts in how linus responds to and approaches them.
i'd go into "things i liked" and "things that didn't jive", but i'm not sure that i can with this book. i'd have to thoroughly comb through it again to find the latter, and i feel even those would be more in the realm of nit-picking. and for the "thinks i liked" list, you may as well just rewrite the book in bullet-list form. i genuinely enjoyed this book so much, and i'll be excited to return to it in the future.
yeah, i really do wish i was there.
the prose is excellent and brimming with personality. there are so many little word choices or details i adore, or descriptions of a character's mannerisms that made me grin or giggle or just kind of wiggle around in my chair. the dialogue between characters throughout is so enjoyable.
i love the island. i love linus. i love zoe so much. i love arthur and i love all the kids;
i'd go into "things i liked" and "things that didn't jive", but i'm not sure that i can with this book. i'd have to thoroughly comb through it again to find the latter, and i feel even those would be more in the realm of nit-picking. and for the "thinks i liked" list, you may as well just rewrite the book in bullet-list form. i genuinely enjoyed this book so much, and i'll be excited to return to it in the future.
yeah, i really do wish i was there.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime and Racism
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
taryn_g's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Confinement and Hate crime
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
sabrinz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It hurts to give this book only 3.75 stars - and the main reason for my rating is just personal preference.
The story is lovely and told in such a clam manner despite some of the heavier topics that it touches upon. The characters are amazing (esp. the children) and I could spend hours finding out more about each and every one of them.
In general, the story is about Linus Baker, a caseworker who lives and breathes by the rules and regulation of his company because that is how it's done (even if he might not be too happy about it). Extremely Upper Management send him to investigate an orphenage with very special children - they expect him to stay for a month and send weekly reports, ultimatley helping them decide if the orphenage is to remain open or not. And during this stay we see Linus opening up and slowly shedding the grey coat of his old life that he had donned becuase it was what people told him to do.
The story is lovely and told in such a clam manner despite some of the heavier topics that it touches upon. The characters are amazing (esp. the children) and I could spend hours finding out more about each and every one of them.
In general, the story is about Linus Baker, a caseworker who lives and breathes by the rules and regulation of his company because that is how it's done (even if he might not be too happy about it). Extremely Upper Management send him to investigate an orphenage with very special children - they expect him to stay for a month and send weekly reports, ultimatley helping them decide if the orphenage is to remain open or not. And during this stay we see Linus opening up and slowly shedding the grey coat of his old life that he had donned becuase it was what people told him to do.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Death of parent
cdeaton119's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
There's so much about this book I love. The overall theme of acceptance and perseverance, the way the characters develop throughout the story, the descriptions and emotions and... all of it. A few things stick out to me. TJ Klune is a LGBT author, and he writes in a way that brings that to the forefront in a beautiful way. I love that the way he portrays relationships in this book is with the main point being love, and not gender. If you wanted to, you could read this story with the main character being female and it would all still fit together perfectly, nothing would need to change. By saying this, I simply mean the fact that the characters are gay doesn't change the story, and I love that its brought up in such a tasteful and accepting way, while still being very important to the plot. Another thing I really enjoyed was the way differences and bigotry were handled in the book. The hate in this story is from humans toward supernaturals, "monsters". There were quite a few quotes in the book about how it doesn't matter what a person looks like or what they are, they deserve to be treated with respect and given a chance. You can tell that Klune has likely faced adversity in his life, and the message of love yourself and others comes through loud and clear. Overall, the story is light hearted and fun. The characters are all very unique and well developed. It's not a sad story, but one of learning to accept others and yourself, and overcoming adversity. It's a feel-good story. I definitely recommend this book to everyone!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
avrija's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-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
4.75
This was an awesome book, lovely and memorable characters.
I’m quite surprised at how much I liked the main character, Linus. I’ve loved the descriptions of the children, their magical beings/powers, as some were quite unusual but written so well, I had a picture in mind for each of them.
I loved the Color play between Linus‘ life in the city and on the island and I love all the interactions between the characters.
Another thing was also, that Linus is just a regular guy. He’s not the usual kind of protagonist for a book that involves a romance as he’s not close to look like the beauty standards. He’s in his forties, works an office job, has some weight to his belly and thinning hair but he’s still loved by the characters and even involved in a romance, which I really liked.
The romance was quite cute, though it was definitely slowburn and mostly very subtle in the background. The focus wa snore on the interactions with all the characters and their dynamics while adding a dash of romance to it.
I also liked the commentary on bigotry and prejudice against the children as magical youth and the way in which DICOMY played a role.
All in all a great and lovely read for everyone that likes a quaint character study kind of book that has a big theme for found family.
I’m quite surprised at how much I liked the main character, Linus. I’ve loved the descriptions of the children, their magical beings/powers, as some were quite unusual but written so well, I had a picture in mind for each of them.
I loved the Color play between Linus‘ life in the city and on the island and I love all the interactions between the characters.
Another thing was also, that Linus is just a regular guy. He’s not the usual kind of protagonist for a book that involves a romance as he’s not close to look like the beauty standards. He’s in his forties, works an office job, has some weight to his belly and thinning hair but he’s still loved by the characters and even involved in a romance, which I really liked.
The romance was quite cute, though it was definitely slowburn and mostly very subtle in the background. The focus wa snore on the interactions with all the characters and their dynamics while adding a dash of romance to it.
I also liked the commentary on bigotry and prejudice against the children as magical youth and the way in which DICOMY played a role.
All in all a great and lovely read for everyone that likes a quaint character study kind of book that has a big theme for found family.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
jennxreviews's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
This book. This book is just beautiful. The writing is like a gorgeous prose. It's about looking beyond the surface of what you're taught to see to what is actually there. It's ahout home and family. The story is from the point of view of Linus who is a children's services caseworker who's sent on a special assignment to observe an orphange for a month and what he found there was so much more than what he was looking for. I am not a weepy person but this book made my eyes leak and my heart bubble pop. I've never wanted to annotate and mark a book so much in my life that wasn't a textbook. I want to read it again just so I can write comments and thoughts on it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
emotional
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
5.0
“He’d accepted long ago that some people, no matter how good their heart was or how much love they had to give, would always be alone. It was there lot in life, and Linus had figured out, at the age of twenty seven, that it seemed to be that way for him. Oh, there was no specific event that brought along this line of thinking. It was just that he felt…dimmer than others. Like he was faded in a crystal clear world. He wasn’t meant to be seen”
Oh how I love love, and this book is chock full of it. There is romantic love, a familial love, a love of humanity, and a love of storytelling that make this novel all that it is. I cannot wait to read more from this author
Oh how I love love, and this book is chock full of it. There is romantic love, a familial love, a love of humanity, and a love of storytelling that make this novel all that it is. I cannot wait to read more from this author
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
jessiesnoww's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia, Cannibalism, and Religious bigotry
Starts out slow but it’s worth it.frecklebrows's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-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
3.0
The characters were lovable and the world building was fun, but I honestly could use less banter and more plot. The author also chose to repeat certain phrases over and over throughout the book which I found more cheesy than anything else. I found the narrator to be melodramatic in places that didn't feel natural to his character. The plot could have used a little more umph to hold the readers interest along with the simpler writing style.
All in all was a fun little read but there were some stylistic parts and character choices that felt annoying and dragged on a little too long.
All in all was a fun little read but there were some stylistic parts and character choices that felt annoying and dragged on a little too long.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, and Death of parent
abookofwildflowers's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming and Child abuse
Minor: Death of parent