librarianlayla's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The only reason this doesn't get the full 5 stars is because there was very little ebb and flow of emotions. It is mostly fraught, with very few light moments to break up the harshness. But I did enjoy it greatly, and am looking forward to the sequel!
For fans of Miss Peregrine's, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and The Nevers.
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Toxic relationship, Death, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Racism, Addiction, Racial slurs, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Child death, Gaslighting, Torture, Drug use, Physical abuse, and Self harm
massivepizzacrust's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Confinement, and Death
krysley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is how I've been describing this book to people: it's a mashup of Harry Potter and X-Men with an historical fiction setting. Honestly, I think that's pretty accurate.
J.M. Miro creates some incredibly likeable and interesting characters, from Charlie to Alice to, yes, even Jacob Marber, as well as great atmosphere. However, the story gets bogged done with a back-and-forth timeline and an excessively long story. As an audiobook, I was just waiting for it to be over because it didn't seem to be moving along.
The narrator, Ben Onwukwe, has an absolutely beautiful baritone that fits perfectly in the time period. The issue is that he has atrocious voices for women and children, which often sound like gravely southern American accents for some reason. I got used to the weird voices, but it didn't exactly add to my enjoyment of the listening experience.
Moderate: Abandonment, Racism, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Violence
moiralyle'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Rape, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy