Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

18 reviews

carissa230's review against another edition

adventurous sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Jack and Jill went down the stairs to see what was awaiting. They found the perfect world where they could each be completely themselves. 

Jill who was always the “boy” her father demanded, was able to be a beautiful vampire princess.

Jack who was always the perfect clean well-dressed girl, was able to work with her hands. Although she abhorred getting dirty. 

Things were perfect for them both until Jill got impatient. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Blood

Moderate: Grief and Abandonment

belladsb's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

-January 2022- 

4.5 Satrs

C.A.W.P.I.L.E. : 8.57

-May 2019-

My heart aches in so many ways...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Abandonment, Mental illness, Body horror, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Grief, Lesbophobia, Medical content, and Violence

laurajones's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Medical content, and Pedophilia

Minor: Body shaming

mariebrunelm's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.25

This second volume in the Wayward Children series is quite different from the first one, which had been the definition of a whimsical, unexpected book. This one is much more consistent, and has the feel of a fairy tale. You can almost hear a voice-over as in the series Pushing Daisies or the movie Penelope, and although it can feel tedious, here I thought it was done really well and effectively. Down Among the Sticks and Bones works as a prequel for Every Heart a Doorway. We follow two important but secondary characters from the first volume and learn more about them. I loved how the book encouraged defying expectations and making one's own path in life. Despite the voice-over feel, it still felt quite personal and engaging.
Rep: lesbian couple with a fat character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Child death, Grief, Medical content, Murder, and Violence

an_awkward_adhd_adventurer's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Bullying

Moderate: Murder and Grief

Minor: Animal death and Confinement

stargem's review

dark tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Medical content, Murder, and Mental illness

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Sexism

Minor: Confinement, Infertility, and Miscarriage

tqlikesbooks's review

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

“The Moors were beautiful in their own way, and if their beauty was the quiet sort that required time and introspection to be seen, well, there was nothing wrong with that. The best beauty was the sort that took some seeking.”

A deliciously dark twist on fairy tales, Down Among the Sticks and Bones follows the story of Jack and Jill, who we first meet in Every Heart a Doorway (though this can be read as a stand alone story).

I loved the tale of the two sisters, who yearn to escape the narrow roles their parents have squashed them into and find themselves in the land of the moors. Seanan McGuire plays with classic gothic figure such like Dracula and Doctor Frankenstein, yet twists the stories in new and exciting directions.

This was a dark, magical and fascinating tale that sucked me into an entirely different world.

“She had tried to make sure they knew that there were a hundred, a thousand, a million different ways to be a girl, and that all of them were valid, and that neither of them was doing anything wrong.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, and Grief

angelareads's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Less complex than the first book, but for me a slightly more enjoyable read. It all evens out to a 3.5 for both books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse

Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Fatphobia