Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

27 reviews

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I do not know if I can put into words how beautiful and lovely this story is. I adore the dual timelines and the way they weave together near the end. It is simultaneously about how life goes on even after we're gone and we're specks in the great tapestry of life AND about how one person (or two) can make a grand difference in the world.  

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

Look, I'd been thinking of leaving my book club because we'd just had a run of duds, and I hadn't really attached to anything they picked this year. But this? This is a book that I might have passed up that has become definitely in my top three books this year. 

Someone in the club referred to it as a dream within a play within a myth, and that's the best I can describe it. The writing is fantastic, the mythology raw, and the romance subtle and beautiful. I love the chorus elements. I love the weave of the different narratives. I loved this book. It took me a long while to get through because it really required my whole attention to read which is a hard for me to do these days, but boy is it worth it. 

If you're in need to trigger warnings, I'd take the ones on this book with a grain of salt. While they are all definitely true, the book is rarely graphic and only one scene actually disturbed me (looking at you,  Second Terror).

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adventurous challenging dark emotional

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous 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: No

One of the most beautifully written love stories I’ve ever read. A fantastic queer representation set in a dense, lush world. The writing style is so unique and serves to add such depth to this story. A tale of lineage, familial threads, the complexity and interconnectedness of nature, and of pure, raw love. Expertly executed, this book shouldn’t be missed by both fans of the genre and any other experienced readers looking for a book that will make them FEEL again. 

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A dream about a play of a folk tale your grandmother used to tell you. And yet it doesn't feel distant and alien, like an abstract telling might, it just feels mythic and beautiful. ...okay well no some of it was quite graphic and I couldn't call it all beautiful, check the content warnings, but like it fit into the themes and vibes somehow.

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dark emotional mysterious 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

Zuko dupe

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

While reading this, I really had to give in and just trust that the author was giving me enough information. I felt uncomfortable with my lack of truly understanding what was happening at all times, but I ended up really enjoying his unique writing style. 

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slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book was such a slog to read!  I want all of those hours of my life back.  

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