Fun and funny!

A captivating and heartbreaking story, highlighted by de Vigan's educated representation of neurodivergence.

Everyone should read it.

Personally? I found it overwrought and, in the usual style of a Hugo novel, filled with unnecessary digressions. It also dehumanizes poor Quasimodo and romanticizes poverty (another issue Hugo novels tend to have).

Wait. Wait wait wait. This is,,,, a kid's book? Okay, yeah, no, this is terrifying. Subtle horror leaks out form every page. Emotionally manipulative and gripping??? How is this a children's book? Either children have gotten braver since I was one, or I've become more of a pussy.

Oh God, this descriptive lushness had me gasping with delight, out loud. The words jump off the page, enveloping you in their loud, wet, dark warmth.
The plot was kind of all over the place, though, making it very hard for me to follow. Or, then again, maybe that's just my fault for being a colossal idiot.
It did make me cry, in case anybody was wondering.

Personally? Booooooooring.

With an observant eye that readily snags on quirks of detail and character, Nancy Stibbe has produced a laugh-out-loud funny novel, rather rude at times, but all the funnier for her lack of reserve in relating her stories.