Reviews with content warning for Ableism - The Spear Cuts Through Water

Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

146 reviews

litagentsaritza's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous challenging slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

The audio fully brings Jimenez’s beautiful story to life. But I highly recommend that you read this as an immersive read (print and audio together). The formatting of the print along with the narrator’s performance of the book make for an incredible read. It’s written like a fable mixed with the oral storytelling methods known to many of us with a Latiné background. Our abuelitas would tell us their tale in the hopes of keeping our history and ancestors alive in our hearts and minds. So it is with this epic tale of Keema and Jun. This book is going to stay with me for a long time.

Content Warnings

bonriki's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

eviethebookworm's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

redlikeroses's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

Content Warnings

lauralia's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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: No

Such a beautiful story, and unique storytelling. I felt like I was at a campfire being told stories and legends. I would never have expected a written story to manage such an homage to the oral tradition. This book will stay with me for a long time, and I know I will revisit it often.

Highly recommend the audiobook, as it adds to this oral tradition and this feeling of being told a story. Joel de la Fuente does a beautiful job portraying all the emotions of the characters, and makes all the little testimonies from everyone feel so real.

Content Warnings

dan_no's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

“This is a love story to its blade-dented bone.”

I don’t know what to say, sometimes words aren’t enough to describe something and how it made you feel and I’m at a loss for words. This is a unique experience, I don’t think I’ve actually read a book like this one. The narration is like nothing else, you’re basically being told a story in a story (I’m not sure if this makes sense but whatever it is what it is). Every part of this story is weaved so intricately together that it’s hard to describe it without spoiling it (although tw for cannibalism 🤩), just know that it will knock you off your feet. I was really confused at first but the vibes of this novel are immaculate so I didn’t care.

“And of all things that lie between these heavens this one has seen and understood, it has been witness to and has told the tales of crimes of far greater magnitude than that of a boy who decided to live for himself.”

The writing style is mind blowing, I’ve actually cried multiple times because it was too beautiful… (embarrassing for me) The characters were brought to life almost tenderly, although traumatized and in the midst of a war Keema and Jun were perfect. But so were every single character, yes even the ones that weren’t there long enough to have a name.

This is a story about guilt, belonging, identity and legacy. But I think that intimacy was also a pretty big part of it. Anyway, I just finished it and I feel as if in a fog but I loved every second of it.

Content Warnings

siover's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

Perfect!! Omfg, literally everything i could've wanted n more

Content Warnings

7dream's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

amazing fantasy world. the perspective shifts take getting used to. sometimes it changes within the sentence/paragraph which makes it both delightfully creative and sometimes slightly annoying. graphic content warning. sometimes the crudeness of it all feels is overdone

Content Warnings