Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis

17 reviews

wellintendedbibliophile's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective 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

Diverse cast and a respectful approach to incorporating characters with disabilities, both mental and physical. This book is dark, but so well-thought out. I loved every character and appreciate how the author humanized each character.  This is still a top favorite. I need to read the sequel soon. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Colonisation, Child abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, War, Murder, Racism, Religious bigotry, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, and Panic attacks/disorders

anniereads221's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Sexual assault, Death, Murder, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Racism, Rape, Torture, Violence, War, and Classism

forthesanityof1's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious reflective 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

Oh god did I love this book. The premise really caught me in the beginning and I love the way the author engaged with the world-building over the course of the book to build into the plot issues as well. The way the language with the names of the different races was created particularly stood out to me. The plot was super intriguing in a nice mix of political intrigue, war, and personal stakes that made it a page-turner. I loved the writing style along with the three perspectives utilized by the author. First Sister's POV was my favorite but Lito and Hiro's were also really well done. I also appreciated the overall queer-ness of the book and world. I like that the ending especially had a lot of impact with reveals about a certain character and what actually happened. If I wasn't exhausted, I could draw a lot of parallels to issues we see in our world with queer, women, and more specifically trans issues as well. I'm dying to get my hands on the second one once it's out in paperback. If there was one thing for me to criticize, it was that the pacing sometimes reflected the author's intention to set up for the rest of the trilogy in a way that was a touch obvious, but that's being super nit-picky. Also hoping for a poly relationship in the end, so fingers crossed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Torture, Transphobia, and Violence

Mental illness specifically refers to the revelation that

the First Sister has DID or dissociative identity disorder due to her experiences and Lito deals with PTSD/flashbacks/panic attacks/reliving physical sensations

. I included tags about rape and sexual assault due to the

nature of the Sisterhood and the tasks they are expected to perform for those that want it regardless of the Sister's consent.

peachani's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abandonment, Ableism, Bullying, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Transphobia

syfylauren's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

Such a fun read that took many twists and turns I was not expecting! We have two out of three main characters belonging to the alphabet mafia (LGBTQ+) and their explorations of love in its different forms felt fresh, comforting, and happily not trite. it was nice to see how the internal battle between love and duty worked to  help push the main characters outside of their comfort zones. And all while in space. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

mweis's review against another edition

3.5

I received an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is intense. 

I found it incredibly fast-paced and the way each chapter alternated POVs and tended to end with some kind of revelation made it compulsively readable. I loved that each POV was on a different side of an interplanetary war and the way each of their stories intertwined. I also loved how unapologetically queer and diverse this book is and I was really intrigued by how the Geans and Icarii evolved into these warring empires.

There are a some reveals in the last 25% or so of the book that could be pretty divisive and I'm still not sure how I personally feel about some of them despite having read this book twice. I think it will depend on how the fallout is handled going forward.

Overall, I really enjoyed this debut and am really looking forward to the rest of the trilogy!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, and Mental illness

Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual violence

ruthh's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Violence, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, and Sexual assault