Reviews tagging 'Grief'

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

73 reviews

teaselkie's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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brianna_reading5's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

this book got into some really deep, complex topics and, while i don’t think every topic was thoroughly explored to its fullest extent, most of it was really wonderful and powerful to read. i really felt this journey that henry goes through alongside him, and the way his grief manifested into so many different facets of his life just really struck a chord with me. the whole “we’re all gonna die someday” message is not something particularly new, but i think this novel was able to hone in on that message better than most other YA books i’ve read - and i think the whole button situation really allows for that. also i felt so bad for henry the whole time like he really just could not catch a break i’m very happy with how things ended for him 

do check tws before reading! this book gets a bit darker than i’d originally anticipated

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lovelymisanthrope's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I picked this up as a buddy read with a friend.
"We Are the Ants" follows a teenager named Henry. Over the past few years Henry has been abducted by aliens. On one of his most recent abductions, the aliens have told him that Earth will blow up in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button. But the world has not been kind to Henry, and with some much sickness and heartbreak, why should he push the button?
I think if I had picked this up five years ago, I would have loved it, unfortunately, this book just did not have that punch I was expecting. The plot, themes, and mannerisms of the main character really reminded me of "Going Bovine" by: Libba Bray, and once I had that in my head, I just could not enjoy the story because it did not feel original too me.
I respect what this book did, and I think the themes and topics discussed are important and done so in a profound way. One of the big topics is suicide. Henry had someone very close to him commit suicide and it has really haunted him ever since. I have not seen a ton of media highlighting how suicide impacts those left behind, and how they work through their feelings of grief and arrive at a state of acceptance. This book shows Henry going through his process to get through this dark time, and it highlights how other characters who were impacted by this death have to deal with their grief in their own ways.
I would recommend this book to a young adult looking for a book that packs a punch and makes you question what makes life worth living. 

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mary_jinxedit's review

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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vicixyz's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0


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juliaisnotalright's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.0

Boy gets abducted by aliens and has the choice to stop the apocalypses.
But this book is so much more than science fiction, actually,
the aliens are just a metaphor for depression

It’s a book about mental health, dealing with depression, suicide and death in general. 
The beginning was interesting but towards the middle it got a tiny bit boring but the ending was great but kinda predictable just like some of the plot.
IMO it’s kinda a mix of the perks of being a wallflower and Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe.
Would recommend to every teenager but check the trigger warnings !

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morganmmw's review

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dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

3.0


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serenspace's review

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reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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souzy_q's review

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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eboresow's review

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emotional reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes

3.5


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