Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

36 reviews

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book is a complicated mix of oral tradition, dream sequence, and diaspora narrative that sometimes overwhelms in its amount of layers. Told through three overlapping voices over three different time periods, this historical fantasy blends violence & authoritarianism with the search for belonging in a world that seems intent on your destruction. 

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adventurous dark emotional 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

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adventurous medium-paced

Style/writing: 5 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 4 stars
Worldbuilding: 4.5 stars

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-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: Yes

INCREDIBLE writing (can feel everything down to the minutia), but a feels like we are seeing a refraction of the world - a more violent and hard and hopeless version where unimagined cruelty is the norm. Second person narration brought me in - it really elevated the stories on stories in stories that are woven into this, and the theatre provided a container that was incomparable. SUCH incredible characters, and the way it all comes together in the end???? PHEW

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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: No

I am at a loss of words to describe this book. I haven't read a book this good since...I don't even know.
I feel something moved inside me. 

I will absolutely check out the author's other book(s) 


Wow. 
Just wow. 

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense slow-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

this was both brutal and beautiful. it was unlike anything I've read before, and I loved it. the structure and writing style are creative, with a mix of poetic language and a unique narrative that captivates you. I loved Jun and Keema, their relationship and personal growth throughout the story. 

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adventurous dark emotional 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: Yes

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One of the best fantasy books in the last five years. (full review on insta: dreareads_ and tiktok: dreareads)


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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

 ☆ Fun Factor 1/5 (this is one of the most challenging things I've ever read)
☆ Writing Style 3/5 (definitely not for everyone)
☆ Characters 4/5 (a huge cast)
☆ Plot 3/5 (A relatively simple plot told in a very convoluted way)
☆ Setting 5/5
☆ Feels 3/5
☆ Spiciness 2/5
☆ Gore 5/5

If this were a movie it'd be rated: R for mild sexual situations, violence, body horror, frequent mentions of sexual assault, disturbing imagery, dismemberment, cannibalism, gore...this one goes to some really dark places

☆FOR FANS OF: Dark fairy tales; The Neverending Story

Ultimate verdict: ☆☆☆/5

☆☆☆Best Character Award goes to:☆☆☆ "You"

Review: A story of a thousand voices

This is one of the densest, hardest to read, most imaginatively told novels I've ever read. You'll know probably within the first 40 pages if this is for you or not. Every single character is purposefully given a POV even if it's just a single line, and the perspective changes from first, second, and third. All the different tenses are used. While this is incredibly cool, it can be extremely off-putting to the detriment of the story itself.

If you have the stamina to endure the way this story is being told to you, you get a very dark adventurous fantasy tale that spans literal generations of people and what's real and unreal is questionable at best. The story takes place in the Inverted Theatre, a literal theatre of dreams and nightmares, and the whole novel feels just as hazy and bizarre as trying to piece together a fever dream. 

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense 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: Yes

There’s so much to say, yet I have so many questions I want answered by Simon Jimenez. 

This was so beautifully written and I’ve never had a book give me insane chills like that ever. 

Though I will say, the switching of POVs is a little difficult at first especially within the first 100 pages. The best way to consume it is by annotations, but honestly, you want nothing more than to talk to this text. And it does get graphic, heed trigger warnings. 

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