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drone232's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
A classic of children's literature. Reminded me of a kids Stephen King or of an RL Stine with adult vocabulary. PG 13 work with high verbiage and lots of references to other classical works. Best for well read people. The plot itself was very nice, I liked the characters, I liked the atmosphere. The mystery of it all and the creepy ideas. It does suffer some from the culture of its age with the shallow racism and sexism. That teacher in the story got done dirty.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Sexism, and Kidnapping
jesus_wept's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
galoshes's review against another edition
This book depicts women as objects whose value depends on men's opinion. There is an unsettling worship of boys and boyhood. The message is heavily influenced by Christian ideas of sin and punishment. The characters' decisions make no logical sense, which I feel was covered up by the poetic prose. I don't care for stories that are written for the sake of allegory.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Stalking
savvylit's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Published in 1962, this novel is considered a Halloween classic. It's easy to see why -- Bradbury masterfully blends sci-fi and fantasy to create some very scary forces. At the heart of this book's spookiness is a magical carousel that can age its riders either forward or backward. This carousel, plus the inner monologues of Will's dad Charles Halloway, all point towards the true terror of mortality: aging. This particular theme is incredibly well-executed.
The merits of Something Wicked are evident - Ray Bradbury celebrates both the golden days of youth and father-son bonds. That being said, this book is probably best targeted towards middle grade audiences. I found it to be a little too childish for my taste. On top of that, Charles Halloway's monologues are all a bizarre and distinct brand of mid-20th century sexism. The passages about women being innocent and always sleeping soundly were strange and grating.
Overall, perhaps the best part of this book is Bradbury's talent for poetic prose. Here are a few of my favorite sentences:
"And if it’s around October twentieth and everything smoky-smelling and the sky orange and ash gray at twilight, it seems Halloween will never come in a fall of broomsticks and a soft flap of bed-sheets around corners."
"God, how we get our fingers in each other's clay. That's friendship, each playing the potter to see what shapes we can make of each other."
"The dust was antique spice, burnt maple leaves, a prickling blue that teemed and sifted to earth. Swarming its own shadows, the dust filtered over the tents."
The merits of Something Wicked are evident - Ray Bradbury celebrates both the golden days of youth and father-son bonds. That being said, this book is probably best targeted towards middle grade audiences. I found it to be a little too childish for my taste. On top of that, Charles Halloway's monologues are all a bizarre and distinct brand of mid-20th century sexism. The passages about women being innocent and always sleeping soundly were strange and grating.
Overall, perhaps the best part of this book is Bradbury's talent for poetic prose. Here are a few of my favorite sentences:
"And if it’s around October twentieth and everything smoky-smelling and the sky orange and ash gray at twilight, it seems Halloween will never come in a fall of broomsticks and a soft flap of bed-sheets around corners."
"God, how we get our fingers in each other's clay. That's friendship, each playing the potter to see what shapes we can make of each other."
"The dust was antique spice, burnt maple leaves, a prickling blue that teemed and sifted to earth. Swarming its own shadows, the dust filtered over the tents."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Racism
rory_john14's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Body horror