mikeroderique'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
Moderate: Gaslighting, Bullying, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Eating disorder, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Homophobia
Minor: Vomit, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Self harm, Outing, Murder, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Police brutality
enyltiak's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The plot, too, felt pretty bloated and unnecessary, and I love a book with not a whole lot going on. I didn't love the school play plot, but whatever. I wish there was more of the horror aspect,
Spoiler
we didn't get any sort of transformation from Virgil until the very endGraphic: Mental illness, Gore, Vomit, Body horror, Bullying, Kidnapping, Blood, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Sexual assault
cjdbooks1's review
- 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? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Body horror, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, and Vomit
teacher2library's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Bullying, and Homophobia
Moderate: Self harm and Sexual assault
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
goinghost'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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, Self harm, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Gaslighting
This is a heavy book. All listed content warnings are explicit, except the book depicts no actual sexual assault, but the major traumatic event that kicks off the book is a clear and direct allegory for sexual assault and the main character experiences trauma that follows the language surrounding sexual assault.readingrainbow's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Vomit
Minor: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Self harm, and Sexual assault
readwithanne'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
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Bullying, and Body horror
Moderate: Sexual assault, Vomit, Eating disorder, and Homophobia
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
However, Virgil knows the truth. It was a monster who attacked him. A monster that's still out there. And in order for him to have peace of mind, he has to find it. But it just adds to Virgil's status as the new kid, an outsider. If he doesn't find the monster soon, he might just become one himself.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this to review! Shaun David Hutchinson is a favorite YA author of mine, and I think he's getting back to what everyone likes hime for! That kind of weird, surreal, is this really happening kind of fiction. The kind of book you can't always put into a genre.
What this book has going for it is it's strong analogy throughout. While it is a bit on the nose at times, using Virgil's monster attack as a symbol of sexual assault works really well. Specifically, interweaving Virigil's memories from the attack throughout, in bold print. These mimic intrusive thoughts, and flashbacks one might have if they have PTSD. The overall structure of the story, the attack, and the way people around him react is just spot on for the main comparison in the story. There also isn't a lot of YA that focuses on the sexual assault issue for boys, or in a queer context, and that definitely needs discussion, too.
Like in other Hutchinson books, there is also positive discussion about mental health. Including a positive representation of therapy. I always appreciate the way that Hutchinson approaches these topics, and it's important for teens to see this kind of representation in books. In a way, the werewolf/monster comparison works for this, too. It just works well on so many levels, especially for this story.
My only complaint is at times, the plot itself is slightly repetitive and maybe the book didn't have to be quite this long. However, this doesn't completely take away from the strong writing and characters.
All in all, I'm glad Hutchinson has gone back in this kind of direction. If the We Are the Ants era is a favorite of yours, you'll most likely love this, too!
Graphic: Eating disorder, Self harm, and Homophobia
Moderate: Gaslighting and Bullying
Minor: Sexual assault
alexwelch's review
5.0
Moderate: Homophobia, Self harm, Gaslighting, and Bullying
Minor: Sexual assault