The Taking of Jake Livingston

Stacks of Strange August Book Club Pick

I'm not a big fan of paranormal horror specifically with spirits or hauntings but occasionally it can work for me. This one half worked and half didn't. I did enjoy how the main character, Jake could see spirits and it was basically like a power. I didn't enjoy how the main ghost was portrayed because it felt more like satire than something to be taken seriously.

I would argue that the ghost is supposed to be taken seriously because they were actually a school shooter who committed suicide which in itself is a dark topic. I feel like even though this was YA, it could have dealt with the topics in a more mature way than it did. The topics were mostly dealt with fine, it was more just Jake's interactions with the ghost that felt like Casper the ghost and not a murderous spirit.

I did really enjoy the race commentary and how it feels to grow up in a majority-white neighborhood and school. As someone who had a similar experience growing up, it felt really accurate and resonated with me. I also really liked seeing Jake explore his sexual identity and what that means for him. It felt really realistic and you can tell this book is own voices in both aspects.

This was really similar to me in feelings as Cemetary Boys. I enjoyed the story but it felt like younger YA/a bit juvenile for me personally. I do really love some YA stories but this one just felt too young and I didn't connect with it as much because of that. I think this might be a really good book for 13-15 year olds but once you get to the 16+ range I feel like it might be a little too young for them.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Ryan Douglass, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alright so I had some high expectations for this book, specifically because I got it when it was first released & I thought it sounded amazing. The concept is great, I love a good paranormal read!! I just feel like it could've been executed a tad bit better. It also took me quite a while to get used to the writing style, and even when I did I decided that it's still not my favorite, just not for me. Anyways I really did enjoy the Jake + Allister romance :) I loved the ending, it was really sweet! I also love how the author not only talked about how it is being black in a predominantly white area but also what it's like to be black & queer. Overall I would say give this book a go if you're into ghosts it's a fun experience.

In this book, we follow Jake, a medium who can see ghosts and ghouls all around him in everyday life. He has to see them relive their deaths. As a young, Black, closeted gay man just trying to survive high school, this starts to weigh on him. When a ghost of a school shooter starts following him around and terrorizing him, Jake has to come to grips with himself in order to save himself and those around him.

This book was WAY darker than I anticipated. Make sure you check the content warning for this book because there are many. This book was fast paced, emotional, and so incredibly dark. There were explorations of race, sexuality, mental health, and abuse. The 2 main characters, Jake and Sawyer, are extremely well fleshed out as the story goes on, and we really get to see how they got to where they are and what their motivations are for going forward. There are definitely some parallels in their lives, and we get to see Jake try to battle to not go down the same path Sawyer has. I really enjoyed this book, even though there were moments where I was shocked by how graphic and dark things got.

I recommend this book to people looking for a scary, thought provoking book. Just check the content warnings first!

TW: animal cruelty, child abuse (physical & emotional), death, depression, domestic abuse (physical & emotional), body horror (graphic), bullying, gun violence, gore, homophobia, murder, racism, school shootings, sexual assault of a minor (attempted), spider-related body horror (graphic), stabbing, suicide (attempts, ideation, & actual)

Messy, boring, and weirdly paced. It wasn't scary. Jake was a boring character and can be summed up with the words of his brother: “Sometimes I do the most, but you don't do enough.” It's tiring reading about a character who has so obviously given up before he's even started making an effort.

The rules of this universe were never clearly defined. His powers are never explained (he seems to suddenly come up with new ones on the fly). What ghosts and ghouls can and cannot do is never established. This leaves readers not understanding the true stakes of his journey.

The writing is weirdly vague in it's descriptions too. It doesn't paint a vivid picture of the settings, or even the emotions of the characters. It feels like watching a movie where everything is just a little too dark and you can't actually see any of the scenes. The action sequences were just plain bad.

The one thing I enjoyed is Jake's relationship with Allister. I thought it was very cute and I'm happy they got a good ending.

That being said, some books can survive on pure vibes alone but this one can't. I had really high hopes but sadly, I was disappointed.

3.25 ★
i feel like the beginning captivated me, but after that, i slowly lost interest. it's a great book, it tackles significant themes and it's a nice read, but i feel like there were a couple of things that i could not get past. some dialogues felt a bit weak to me, and in general, the whole world-building seemed to be missing a lot more development. besides that, i enjoyed this book and i would recommend it if you're a horror fan. jake was an amazing lead character, and i felt like the author did a fantastic job at portraying all his issues as a gay black teen who also sees ghosts, really liked to see his character development.

Jake Livingston is not like the other kids at St. Clair, he’s black and he sees dead people. Seeing ghost has become easier for him but one day a ghost stands out from the rest, it has bad intentions.

It was kind of funny because I picked this book a little on a whim. I wanted to do Blackoween despite half of the month being over, had seen this book mentioned and then I saw it by accident at the library so I grabbed it and liked it!

I haven’t read YA in a long time, might have to change that. It came across a lot more mature than plenty of fantasy I have started and DNF and plenty of cozy mystery.

It’s a pretty dark book and brings up suicide and school shootings. For me the spooky elements were not very spooky but the dark world view was in a way.

There were areas that could have been better, the magic was a little unclear and even the writing at times were a tad confusing but I just thought, “F it” and went with it.

SPOILER: How did he get away with murder/arson tho? After that fire wouldn’t the cashier mention the kid that came in? The kid that later cashed his car possibly not that far from the fire… and there was kerosene all over the place? No? Also wished there had been an resolution between Grady and Jake.

I liked it, but not loved it like I thought I would. Yet, all the ingredients are there: I love Jake, the ghostly descriptions are top notch and it's a two voices story, which I like in a novel. This second voice is Sawyer, which I found interesting.

Infortunately, the story felt rushed. Right at the beginning, we are already put in front of a murder. And in Jake's world with his ghosts and ghouls. But at the same time, we don't know much about his gift and this other world. I would have liked more exposition and more details, more information on that. At the same time, some ghostly encounters were repetitive and didn't really add up to the story.

As for the « real life », I quite liked the other characters, Jake's family and friends. But again, too rushed. I would have taken more developpment from them. Same thing with the love interest.

The big fight was nice (althought I didn't like some events leading to it), and the ending was nice too, but again I'd have taken more.

In short, this is a less than 250 pages and it could have been easily be 100 pages more.

Still, I've liked it. I've liked that Jake is a queer Black kid. A bit too lonely and depressing at times (I found this story very dark sometimes), but that's on me. I like the writing and I think that for a first novel, it's quite good. This is an author I'll check in the future.

P.S. The cover is gorgeous!