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julialeigh's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
avilareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
i definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a novel that is told mostly from the point of a villain-adjacent character.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Body horror, Drug abuse, Genocide, and Blood
Minor: Genocide, Gun violence, Death of parent, and War
szyca'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
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
mxcaswell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Violence
Moderate: Rape
librarymouse's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
This was recommended to me as horror, but I can't help but feel that while it is scary and gory, horror isn't the correct genre for this novel. Horror makes me panic at night. I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning reading The Library at Mount Char.
This is everything I could want and more from a book that starts out with the vibes of a post-hayday magic school memoir of sorts.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
silverheartbookclub'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
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, and Car accident
nlord's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, and Torture
jennramsdell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War
bryn_cavin's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Gore
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
kylietokar's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those books that I'm thrilled I read, but I'm still not actually sure how I feel about it. The premise is X-Men meets Umbrella Academy meets Series of Unfortunate Events (supernatural old guy adopts a bunch of orphans and abuses them into developing their own unique powers). Hawkins does not bother to develop any depth of character in any of the orphans except Carolyn, whose mood swings are so wild it's hard to believe she's a cohesive personality.
Conversely, the mortal pawn she manipulates into doing her bidding throughout this story is so gosh darn loveable it hurts. He's compassionate, he's rash, he's thoughtful, he's resourceful, he's angry, he's human. He is worth reading this book on his own.
The plot itself, and the world that Hawkins craftily chooses to build only in pieces (leave things up to the imagination and all that), is fantastical, science fictiony, and probably would translate well to the screen. But it's also horrifically violent (& borderline insulting to victims of sexual assault at a few points) and sometimes frustratingly vast.
I recommend reading this book, for sure, almost just because I need more people to experience the bizarreness that exists within these pages. But go at your own risk!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual assault