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cecicastro's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Sexism, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Death, and Pedophilia
val_theburrowofstories's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cannibalism, Blood, Chronic illness, Grief, Murder, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Death, Child death, Mental illness, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Cancer, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Sexual harassment
I'm not used to reading dark stories, so to me this was very VERY DARK. Please check all the warnings before reading this book.loquitacass's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Body horror, Animal death, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Child abuse, Child death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Medical trauma and Mental illness
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
booksploration'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
1.5
The Book of Lost Things is a dark and twisted story about loss, grief, and growing up. Regardless of its playful cover and the age of the main character, it’s not a children’s book.
A few examples:
Blood and gore - I enjoy a good horror story and am not against scenes of graphic violence in general. However, I think the author sometimes overdid it a little in a way that didn't add to the story, especially since it’s about the adventures of a 12-year-old boy.
Homophobia - I’m aware that David is "only" a child, but the same doesn’t hold true for the author who chose to write this:
And there's so much to unpack here:
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Stalking, and Violence
Moderate: War, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Vomit, Child abuse, Confinement, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Cancer
Minor: Alcohol and Excrement
dumplinghime's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
elizlizabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Mental illness
Moderate: Fatphobia and Homophobia
Minor: Pedophilia
The main character has OCD traits and it's mentioned in the beginning of the book for shock factor. Fatness and ugliness is equaled to evilness throughout. Allusions to queerness as something that's "not normal", but tolerated because gay character is one of the good guys. Can't find bestiality on the list, but it's explicitly alluded to and never stated as morally incorrect.nerdyllamas's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Mental illness
Minor: Terminal illness