Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Cantoras by Caro De Robertis

8 reviews

aliciarosales's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Violence, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexism, Rape, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Medical content, Infidelity, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol

Minor: Death of parent, Antisemitism, and Transphobia

jrow's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I enjoyed the first half of the book, but the tone and pace felt like it changed drastically during the second half and it was hard to keep my attention with the repetition of the reflections. Otherwise, it was very beautifully written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Rape, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Police brutality

Moderate: Outing, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Torture

Minor: Death of parent and Adult/minor relationship

jae0141's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, and Rape

horizonous's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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

5.0

I would love to write an eloquent review for this book but I can't even find a beginning.

It's heartbreaking, hopeful and beautiful with characters and found family dynamics that will stay with me for a while. The writing, especially the descriptions of the ocean, are also very impactful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Suicide, and Homophobia

Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Confinement, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Death of parent, Miscarriage, Racism, Torture, Antisemitism, and Alcoholism

◦ Forced institutionalization = Conversion therapy
◦ Mental illness = Depression, PTSD

umbellule's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Torture, Suicide, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Animal death and Transphobia

there are mentions of sea lions being hunted and killed, but this happens 'offscreen' and is not graphically described. one of the main characters is a butcher, and their work is described, but no animals are killed on the page. there are a couple of brief mentions of 'crossdressers', who are described as men who like to dress as women; they are described without any malice, but are gendered only with he/him, which may sound transphobic depending on one's own cultural context. there are two mentions of sexual encounters involving underage people, which the now-grown people still describe as consensual. this is, however, not glamorised or fetishised. there is a flashback scene involving forced institutionalisation and torture. there are multiple flashbacks involving rape, including underaged rape and marital rape, though these are not graphic.

there is a graphic suicide scene, by falling, from the point of view of the one dying.

kclark's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.0

This book had so much working in it's favor: queer female characters, queer author, friendships between women, Latin American lit... so it was a surprise this flat this fell to me. 

The language in the book is SO flowery that it is just exhausting, and I love flowery, poetic prose, but this was too much. It was as if the book was struggling to make itself more impressive but came off like a college student trying to say something profound on every page of the book. An example: "The water surrounded them, each wave sloshing forward with it's own wet, singular song, offering the pull of undertow and a brief respite from gravity." It would be fine, and perhaps effective, if this language was used sparingly, but it was constant. This propensity for the over embellished also has the effect of making the sex scenes seem like they were supposed to be sordid and poetic which made it feel like a cheesy romance.

The characters sometimes felt really well developed and crafted, but then immediately lose track of that character development and slip back into seemingly formulaic character archetypes.

Were I not reading this for a summer book bingo, I might have moved on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual violence, Death, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, and Infidelity

danny_thereader's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, and Death of parent

beleng's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Pedophilia, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma