You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Very dark at times, but a worthwhile journey,
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicide, Transphobia, Vomit, Alcohol
I wish I could say something more interesting than this: it's beautiful. It's a rich tapestry of each life and their connections to each other and the world, weaving together each moment into something at once eternal and fleeting. It's melodic and intimate, utterly profound, transformative. And best of all, it's queer.
I won't forget this book anytime soon. Thank you, Simon, for writing it.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Gore, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Vomit, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
I feel something moved inside me.
I will absolutely check out the author's other book(s)
Wow.
Just wow.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Classism
The only thing that put me off a little was the level of violence, torture and their graphic description, but that I think is more something that is not personally for me and not the fault of the book.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Murder, War
Minor: Rape
It's a classic hero's journey type of story and it's being told in such a different way that it surprised me. The POV switches really keep you focused on the story and actually thinking about it at the beginning in a way that's kind of impossible to describe.
I loved the prose and the almost lyrical way this story is told as if reciting it from memory out loud like a folk tale.
I also loved the main characters. I was rooting for them from the very beginning, especially Keema who always seemed to be the butt of the joke and got shit on for his missing arm. He deserved nice things. And June was just trying to make up for his past, for following the orders he was given without thinking about them. I have to admire his determination throughout the novel.
I will say that it took me a while to get used to the POV switching and I think that hindered my ability to grasp the world building and the story set up a bit, especially since I was listening to it rather than reading it physically. I knew that it was going to be a challenge in this format going into the book, so I just want to make sure others are aware of that as well.
On the surface, this is a hero's journey with a love story, but if you dig deeper this novel is about rising up against tyrannical government and healing what has been broken. It is beautifully written, even with the slightly confusing POV switches, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who reads fantasy books.
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Cannibalism, Sexual harassment, War
Minor: Alcoholism
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder
Moderate: Excrement