Scan barcode
rachelmcg2004's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Incest, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Emotional abuse, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Rape, Xenophobia, Racism, Stalking, Sexual violence, and Classism
Moderate: Torture, Vomit, and Gun violence
Minor: Infidelity, Abortion, and Child death
reggiethebird's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Abortion, Alcoholism, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Torture, and Gun violence
Minor: Cursing, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Confinement, Abandonment, and Vomit
jhbandcats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
story, but full of terrifying monsters. The worst monster of all is, of course, the human.
The girl Tan-Tan grows up in an aristocratic home on Toussaint, a Creole-like planet - but all is not well in this seeming paradise. Soon enough, she and her father are exiled to a prison planet just like Toussaint, but with poisonous plants and vicious, deadly animals, having to rely on the douens, the non-human natives, and their fellow prisoners to navigate their new life.
In many ways it's a horrifying coming-of-age tale yet there's a lot of love as well, especially in the lives of the douens. Their community is a gorgeous "city" of many homes in an enormous tree where everyone is satisfied with their lives. It reminded me of the movie Avatar, where the humans destroy anything beautiful because of their grasping, selfish nature, in contrast with the respectful natives living in harmonious coexistence with their home.
There's a lot more to it than that. A very thought-provoking read, one I may return to in a couple of years.
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Abortion, Child abuse, Rape, Abandonment, Alcohol, Gore, Incest, and Violence