Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

The Bees by Laline Paull

5 reviews

0live_tr33's review

dark reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Police brutality, and Animal death

rhiannonhoward's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Police brutality, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Torture, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Slavery, Body horror, Child death, Grief, and Murder

cheye13's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

This was so dry and so long and for what?

It's over 500 pages to explain the fall of a beehive after the human caretaker passes away.

I really should've dnf'd quite early because I truly hated the writing style, but I had to know the point of the story. And it sucked. I was really hoping for some less direct commentary or some layers of meaning, but it was all so dry. What itched the most was the dystopian tone; I couldn't tell if it was condemning bees behavior as a metaphor for human society or if the story stopped at face value because the society was bees. Ultimately a failure of commentary if it was intended at all.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, Sexism, and Classism

Moderate: Police brutality and Religious bigotry

Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

all content warnings in context of a bee society, which may be enough distance for some

davbat's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Gripping and an emotional read- but also quite odd and not very satisfying. Glad I read it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Police brutality, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Sexual harassment

All the characters are bees and there's bee racism.

judereadsalot's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

At times, I forgot I was reading about bees. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this one but it was very enjoyable.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Murder, Police brutality, and Pregnancy