A review by mjwilliamson
The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

challenging dark sad tense fast-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

2.75

I liked the book. It wasn’t a bad book to read. I found the content and themes it touched on very compelling and they told a very interesting story. However, I found Jake to be a bit of a Mary Sue. Everything that he did wrong, or went wrong, could somehow be attributed to his circumstances/the ghosts and ghouls surrounding him. There was no ownership for his actions and there weren’t any major consequences for his actions. I would have liked him to have dealt to a modicum of his damage before it was immediately accepted by his family/friends. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Stalking, Car accident, and Outing

Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Slavery, Vomit, and Stalking