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greenleafclarke's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Stalking, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Gun violence, Hate crime, Abandonment, and Classism
bibliodyke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Gun violence
brunonadamas's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Dysphoria
atothesecond's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Transphobia, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I definitely think it can be can be considered a horror in that it has the effect of disturbing, shocking and scaring the reader as they learn of the ways these children have suffered. With this said, it's a horror in a fully unexpected way and people expecting a really traditional horror novel may be disappointed.
Those who have grown up with similar traumas will see themselves reflected in this story in a way that's likely to be very painful but may also be cathartic. For everyone else, this is a story that sticks with you in many ways. I expect to think about it for a long time.
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Gun violence and Rape
Minor: Transphobia
cmd586'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
4.25
Otherwise, I loved this.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ginnylambda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Vomit
Moderate: Violence and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death and Gun violence
blacksphinx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There's no way I can do this book justice. It feels more like real life than any other book I've read. It's like if Danez Smith wrote a novel.
This was pitched to me as "three Black siblings return home to the gated community they grew up in after their haunted childhood home kills their parents" and "a non-standard haunted house story about the legacy of racism" and it's so much more than that. Our protagonist Ezri is a genderqueer fat Black Jewish parent with diabetes and multiple cluster-B personality disorders. Every one of their family members sits at the intersection of many states of being and it makes them all feel so much more real to me. I have met these people. I am these people. This is a book about the weight and pain of legacy: not just anti-Blackness, or transphobia, or homophobia, or family abuse, or sexual abuse of children by adults, but also how our parents are ghosts that live inside of us like how their parents lived inside of them. And then the final 10% recontextualizes everything that happened before in such a way that I immediately wanted to start over from the beginning again. Also wasn't expecting this book to step on old dyslexia trauma from school, OOF.
"I am the Omelas child."
If you have the SLIGHTEST interest in what I'm saying, just grab a copy. I'm going to need to buy my own after this because an audiobook is not conductive to writing quotes down. (Sidenote: the narration is execellent.)
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Body shaming, Gun violence, Antisemitism, and Suicide attempt
tattooedbibliophile's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A black family moves into white suburbia. Into a haunted house.
Now, the children are adults and discover their parents the victims of what looks to the police like a murder-suicide. But the siblings know different. They know it was the house that killed their parents. And it’s not letting go of them either.
I knew throughout the book that everything wasn’t as it seemed. It was never supposed to be. The air of mystery and the Easter eggs left throughout the plot were obviously leading somewhere. But definitely not where I expected. It’s so hard to surprise me with a plot twist, my pattern recognition picks it up every time, but I was FLABBERGASTED.
I’m a big Rivers Solomon fan already, but this one is their best yet!!! The way that they discuss systemic racism and queerness in such an insightful way that fits perfectly into the plot is unmatched. If you’re a horror fan, be warned that this book has so many triggers, but it is an absolute must read!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, and Classism
Minor: Hate crime, Racism, Self harm, Vomit, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
industrialreader's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Sexual assault and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Body horror