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

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I really enjoyed this book, but didn’t expect it to be so violent. I loved its lore and strangeness, the themes of identity and being othered. And I just want to protect main character 🥹💜

I understand the role that the violence played in the book, and it fit. Just wasn’t prepared for it going in.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Cursing, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, Police brutality, and Abandonment