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sam_uel_c's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Animal death, Torture, Blood, Death, Violence, War, Animal cruelty, and Gore
Moderate: Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Child abuse
Minor: Pedophilia and Homophobia
aliyas_encanto's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
3.75
Nothing like what I expected from the book's description, but still pleasantly surprised by how engrossed I became in this story. Was near tears by the end, a beautiful celebration of growing up and learning to live a life of wonder despite hardships that come before you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, War, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Suicidal thoughts
fayesavanne's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
cecicastro's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
If you are considering reading this book, don’t. The only redeeming things about it are the first and last chapter (hence my added .5). Although it has some good lines here and there, the writing style is mostly incoherent and random, the story telling is clunky at best. Plot-wise its one of the worst books I’ve ever read.
There were so many plot holes left unanswered. The side characters were flat and used only to portray stupid stereotypes. Apart from David’s mom, every woman in the story is either a horrible person or weak. The men all read the same, giving advice that was so straightforward it was boring and took away from interesting story lines being explored (like David’s OCD). There also seemed to be no point to the story being set during WW2 other than to justify the sexism, fat shaming, and rampant homophobia.
Also important to note: this book is NOT for children. There’s so much gore and violence in it, I really don’t get how it’s supposed to be meant for younger audiences.
There were so many plot holes left unanswered. The side characters were flat and used only to portray stupid stereotypes. Apart from David’s mom, every woman in the story is either a horrible person or weak. The men all read the same, giving advice that was so straightforward it was boring and took away from interesting story lines being explored (like David’s OCD). There also seemed to be no point to the story being set during WW2 other than to justify the sexism, fat shaming, and rampant homophobia.
Also important to note: this book is NOT for children. There’s so much gore and violence in it, I really don’t get how it’s supposed to be meant for younger audiences.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Sexism, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Death, and Pedophilia
swalk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A quintessentially English, gothic fairy tale; but if you are expecting a lighthearted fable, this is certainly not it.
Set in 1939 during the war, David is just a 12 year-old boy, his mother is sadly dying. The terrible stress and trauma of this has lead to him trying to prevent her death, by performing tasks in a very obsessive manner and becoming withdrawn. After some time David begins to collapse when he is stressed or angry and his father takes him to see a doctor about it. As his mind spirals David begins hearing the words inside of books come to life, until one day he is consumed by another world entirely; A world filled with fairytale horrors, battles of good and evil, wolves, harpies, knights and a sinister crooked man.
This tale has truly magical world building and a fantastic mix of malevolent and virtuous characters, I loved the the humour of the dwarves and how the story was woven with messages of overcoming grief and a sense of self discovery and growth. Honestly I absolutely adored this book and I even shed a few tears towards the end. Truly excellent.
This tale has truly magical world building and a fantastic mix of malevolent and virtuous characters, I loved the the humour of the dwarves and how the story was woven with messages of overcoming grief and a sense of self discovery and growth. Honestly I absolutely adored this book and I even shed a few tears towards the end. Truly excellent.
Nick Rawlingson was an amazing narrator, his character voicing was excellent and really made the audiobook immersive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Child death, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, War, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent and Torture
renpuspita's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Gue masih ingat sekitar 2012 (lama ya), temen2 BBI banyak yang baca buku The Book of Lost Things atau yang diterjemahkan jadi Kitab Tentang yang Telah Hilang. Karena gue juga kepo, akhirnya beli walau tetep aja ditimbun dan akhirnya baru dibaca tahun 2023. Mestinya gue baca ini tahun 2024 aja biar lama ditimbunnya sama kayak usia tokoh utamanya, David, yang berumur 12 tahun. Tapi ya sudahlah, kan niatnya habisin timbunan yak.
Gue awalnya mengira ini hanya fairy tale biasa dengan dark twist, semacam A Tale Dark and Grimm karya Adam Gidwitz. Gue ga mengira, ceritanya bakal DEPRESIF, GELAP dan SADIS . Dari awal emang udah ngebatin, kenapa kisah fairy tale dengan tokoh anak kecil dikategorikan sebagai novel dewasa. Mutual gue di Twitter bilang kalau ini ceritanya banyak konten gore dan juga kayak Narnia tapi versi lebih dark. Buku ini sepertinya ditulis Connolly untuk membuat Narnia versinya sendiri, yang digabungkan dengan kegilaan ala Alice in the Wonderland dan vibe sadis, depresif yang berasal dari setting bukunya yaitu awal Perang Dunia II. Buku ini emang mau ga mau bikin teringat Narnia, mengingat sub genrenya sama - sama portal fantasy (dateng ke dunia lain) dan juga terjadi di awal serangan Jerman ke Inggris di tahun 1940. Bedanya hanya David ini sendiri, sementara anak - anak Pevensie ada berempat. Tentunya tidak ada Turkish Delight disini. Yang ada hanyalah aura suram, binatang jahat yang ingin jadi manusia dan manusia yang juga keji.
Diceritakan sepenuhnya dari sudut pandang orang ketiga serba tahu tapi tetap berfokus pada David, Connolly banyak bermain dengan kisah - kisah dongeng yang kita tahu. Dongeng aslinya yang sudah suram (dengan harapan sebagai pengingat untuk anak - anak. Ingat ya, versi Disney itu versi yang jinak), sama Connolly dibikin lebih suram lagi. Ada awal mula kaum Loup (atau werewolf) yang bermula dari Kisah si Tudung Merah, ada kisah Hansel and Gretel yang tidak berakhir bahagia, para kurcaci yang benci kapitalis dan Snow White yang sangat ga snow white banget XD. Lalu ada juga kisah Goldilocks dan Tiga Beruang yang..yah anda benar, pokoknya ga happy end. Kisah Putri Tidur yang ga biasa, pemburu gila yang suka membuat chimera (gabungan manusia dan binatang) dan kehadiran makhluk jail bernama Lelaki Bungkuk yang membawa David ke Negeri Dongeng dan ga ingin bocah itu pergi. Tapi, walau banyak kekejaman dan kebengisan yang menerpa, David pun bertemu dengan bbrp orang yang membantunya seperti Tukang Kayu dan Roland si prajurit.
Endingnya sendiri menurut gue bisa dibilang "bahagia", tergantung sama definisi bahagia itu kayak gimana. Tapi gue akuin abis baca buku ini gue berasa hampa. Memang benar kalau buku ini tuh sebenarnya lebih ke perjalanan David secara emosional, aka coming of age. Menurut gue juga ini cara Connolly menceritakan David untuk memproses rasa dukanya akibat ibunya yang meninggal terlalu cepat dan rasa amarah serta tersisihkan karena ayahnya menikah lagi dengan Rose yang notabene dulu perawat ibu David bahkan sampai punya anak. Bagaimana David akhirnya menerima kalau ibunya sudah meninggal dan juga akhirnya belajar mencintai keluarga barunya. Menurut gue, bagian terakhirnya memang bagus banget ketika David tiba di ujung perjalanannya. Sayangnya, rasa hampa itu tetap ada karena gue merasa apakah kekerasan dan kekejaman di buku ini emang perlu? Gue merasa dengan tema horror dan twisted, terlalu banyak konten gore dan mutilasi yang terjadi sampe gue mati rasa waktu baca. Apalagi si Lelaki Bungkuk yang hobinya menyiksa orang hanya untuk hiburan. Gue berkali - kali mikir apakah porsi kekejamannya ini diperlukan agar David beranjak dari anak kecil menjadi dewasa?
Buku ini memang banyak content & trigger warningnya. Keterangan "Novel Dewasa" emang bukan sekedar tempelan meski tokohnya anak kecil karena banyak bagian cerita yang berpotensi bikin kamu mual bagi yang ga biasa . Pun buku ini dibaca pas moodnya lagi baik, karena endingnya emang bikin kayak tertegun dan ngerasa hampa. Tapi kalau kamu suka kisah dongeng dengan bumbu horror dan banyak versi twistnya, buku ini cocok untuk dibaca. Yang jelas ini bukan buku untuk anak - anak. Ini untuk orang dewasa yang ingin dongeng yang cocok untuk mereka, karena orang dewasa pun masih butuh kisah dongeng sebagai pengingat.
Gue awalnya mengira ini hanya fairy tale biasa dengan dark twist, semacam A Tale Dark and Grimm karya Adam Gidwitz. Gue ga mengira, ceritanya bakal DEPRESIF, GELAP dan SADIS . Dari awal emang udah ngebatin, kenapa kisah fairy tale dengan tokoh anak kecil dikategorikan sebagai novel dewasa. Mutual gue di Twitter bilang kalau ini ceritanya banyak konten gore dan juga kayak Narnia tapi versi lebih dark. Buku ini sepertinya ditulis Connolly untuk membuat Narnia versinya sendiri, yang digabungkan dengan kegilaan ala Alice in the Wonderland dan vibe sadis, depresif yang berasal dari setting bukunya yaitu awal Perang Dunia II. Buku ini emang mau ga mau bikin teringat Narnia, mengingat sub genrenya sama - sama portal fantasy (dateng ke dunia lain) dan juga terjadi di awal serangan Jerman ke Inggris di tahun 1940. Bedanya hanya David ini sendiri, sementara anak - anak Pevensie ada berempat. Tentunya tidak ada Turkish Delight disini. Yang ada hanyalah aura suram, binatang jahat yang ingin jadi manusia dan manusia yang juga keji.
Diceritakan sepenuhnya dari sudut pandang orang ketiga serba tahu tapi tetap berfokus pada David, Connolly banyak bermain dengan kisah - kisah dongeng yang kita tahu. Dongeng aslinya yang sudah suram (dengan harapan sebagai pengingat untuk anak - anak. Ingat ya, versi Disney itu versi yang jinak), sama Connolly dibikin lebih suram lagi. Ada awal mula kaum Loup (atau werewolf) yang bermula dari Kisah si Tudung Merah, ada kisah Hansel and Gretel yang tidak berakhir bahagia, para kurcaci yang benci kapitalis dan Snow White yang sangat ga snow white banget XD. Lalu ada juga kisah Goldilocks dan Tiga Beruang yang..yah anda benar, pokoknya ga happy end. Kisah Putri Tidur yang ga biasa, pemburu gila yang suka membuat chimera (gabungan manusia dan binatang) dan kehadiran makhluk jail bernama Lelaki Bungkuk yang membawa David ke Negeri Dongeng dan ga ingin bocah itu pergi. Tapi, walau banyak kekejaman dan kebengisan yang menerpa, David pun bertemu dengan bbrp orang yang membantunya seperti Tukang Kayu dan Roland si prajurit.
Endingnya sendiri menurut gue bisa dibilang "bahagia", tergantung sama definisi bahagia itu kayak gimana. Tapi gue akuin abis baca buku ini gue berasa hampa. Memang benar kalau buku ini tuh sebenarnya lebih ke perjalanan David secara emosional, aka coming of age. Menurut gue juga ini cara Connolly menceritakan David untuk memproses rasa dukanya akibat ibunya yang meninggal terlalu cepat dan rasa amarah serta tersisihkan karena ayahnya menikah lagi dengan Rose yang notabene dulu perawat ibu David bahkan sampai punya anak. Bagaimana David akhirnya menerima kalau ibunya sudah meninggal dan juga akhirnya belajar mencintai keluarga barunya. Menurut gue, bagian terakhirnya memang bagus banget ketika David tiba di ujung perjalanannya. Sayangnya, rasa hampa itu tetap ada karena gue merasa apakah kekerasan dan kekejaman di buku ini emang perlu? Gue merasa dengan tema horror dan twisted, terlalu banyak konten gore dan mutilasi yang terjadi sampe gue mati rasa waktu baca. Apalagi si Lelaki Bungkuk yang hobinya menyiksa orang hanya untuk hiburan. Gue berkali - kali mikir apakah porsi kekejamannya ini diperlukan agar David beranjak dari anak kecil menjadi dewasa?
Buku ini memang banyak content & trigger warningnya. Keterangan "Novel Dewasa" emang bukan sekedar tempelan meski tokohnya anak kecil karena banyak bagian cerita yang berpotensi bikin kamu mual bagi yang ga biasa . Pun buku ini dibaca pas moodnya lagi baik, karena endingnya emang bikin kayak tertegun dan ngerasa hampa. Tapi kalau kamu suka kisah dongeng dengan bumbu horror dan banyak versi twistnya, buku ini cocok untuk dibaca. Yang jelas ini bukan buku untuk anak - anak. Ini untuk orang dewasa yang ingin dongeng yang cocok untuk mereka, karena orang dewasa pun masih butuh kisah dongeng sebagai pengingat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Murder, Torture, Gore, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Confinement, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy, Child death, Outing, and Homophobia
hollyn_middle's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Child death
Minor: Pedophilia and Homophobia
saskiajva's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Vomit, Grief, Murder, War, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia
ashfantastic98's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, War, and Kidnapping
Minor: Fatphobia and Homophobia
tigerhae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-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
3.75
It had a slow start and was rather predictable at times, but flew much quicker once the real adventure started. I really enjoyed the way that the different classic fairytales were woven into his journey. However, there were a few things that I found immediate problems with while reading. My main issue was the portrayal of Roland’s sexuality. I do get how David’s initial about it being “unnatural” may fit into the WWII time period, but its use in the story still felt… off. Especially how Roland’s love for his “friend” is quickly used to insinuating that him being gay must that he must also harbor inappropriate feelings for David, a literal CHILD! It all felt very unnecessary and made me pity Roland’s character in a way that I don’t feel was the author’s intention. Another issue I found was David’s OCD just magically disappearing after one nice chat with the Woodsman. From the very beginning I thought that was such an interesting addition to his character, only for it to be quickly written away/cured once he entered Elsewhere! I just feel like it could have been included more throughout his journey. I also found myself agreeing with other reviews about the randomness of the WWII setting or David’s fluctuating maturity level and how he oftentimes seemed unrealistic as a young boy, but I didn’t think about those things while I was actually reading, so much as after I finished and looked back.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Violence, War, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Animal death
Minor: Pedophilia, Vomit, and Homophobia