Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim

48 reviews

majopenayo's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I loved this book. Can't believe it's the author's debut novel. It's set during a historic event that i basically knew nothing about and i think the author did a great job depicting it. I loved the characters, they felt so alive. Even though there's a war going on, no one was written as a hero or a villain, each charachter had their own beliefs, strengths and flaws. They all just felt very human, each capable of doing good and terrible things. You can also tell that the author didn't write this as "x side" was in the right and "y side" was in the wrong. It was just about how terrible war is for everyone and about the human essence that we all share despite our differences.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Violence, and Sexual assault

applezing's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Trafficking

maidinnah's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Epic yet intimate, Beasts of a Little Land beautifully captures a very specific type of melancholy, one that comes from the passage of time and the tides of change, doing so with a vivid cast of characters surviving through tumultuous early 1900s Korea. Fates intertwine across socio-political divides and relationships ebb, flow, fall apart, and come back together in ways that both devastated and moved me to tears. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Pregnancy, Addiction, and Confinement

epen's review

Just got really bored by the story, which is a bummer because I found it so interesting and exciting at first, and I think the context is interesting. I was going to stick it out but got to a sexual assault scene (not the first) that I found gratuitous and took it as a sign to hang it up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, and Sexual assault

docsusan's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

As historical fiction,  the book drops you into a time in Korea’s history through the eyes of several people. Fascinating, not always easy to read. I wanted to like Jade, the main character, more. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, War, Rape, Violence, and Colonisation

maecave15's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

3.75

I enjoyed this book but it didn't enthrall me. The historical setting of the Korean Independence Movement was unique and a large part of why I picked up this book, as I really enjoy historical fiction novels from all cultures and time period. The story, with its many side characters, was a little hard to keep track of at times but it still captured my attention through to the end.

The lives of Jade and Jungho were  interesting and the friendship they had through the years was a deep bond. This is the Korean concept of inyeon - ties that bind people throughout their lives, with the strongest being husband/wife and parent/child. Although most marriages in this book are purely for the purpose of making children and going with the idea that one has to make a "good" marriage, which may be due to the culture and time period. Some of the parents seemed to love their children at least, but a lot of the romantic relationships in this story are superficial. 
I think my favorite character was Luna though, and I wish she got more page time. I would definitely read a book that was just about her life story.

The format and writing style of this story reminds me a little bit of Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief and Classism

Minor: Death, Infertility, Racism, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Sexual content, War, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Violence

oh_neens's review

dark emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Rape, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Violence, War, Terminal illness, Misogyny, Grief, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Alcohol, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

alusig's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, and Violence

Minor: Colonisation

heathen's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. The writing was simple but elegant. The author created a vivid world with a cast of characters whose lives intersect. I learned a bit about how life was for folks in Korea during this time period, which I've never been exposed to before. I highly recommend this book! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, War, Violence, Rape, Death, Drug use, Death of parent, Blood, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Animal death, Grief, Pregnancy, Classism, and Sexual content

ceedy's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Violence, War, Murder, Rape, and Torture

Moderate: Colonisation, Classism, Blood, and Cursing