Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

11 reviews

indeedithappens's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Abandonment, Body horror, Sexual content, Addiction, Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexism, Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Biphobia, Blood, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Bullying, Child abuse, Violence, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, War, Xenophobia, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Lesbophobia, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

sarah984's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was a little skeptical about this book because I keep seeing it recommended alongside other books I didn't like very much, and the 'take an empire down from the inside' storyline can often be kind of cheesy. I'm glad I gave the book a chance (even though it hurt me severely) - this was a tragic story with fascinating characters that never lets you forget for a second the cost of empire. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, War, Death, Homophobia, and Racism

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Torture, Xenophobia, Animal death, Grief, and Violence

Minor: Drug use, Vomit, Child death, Pedophilia, Ableism, Addiction, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts

jjjreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Biphobia, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, Abandonment, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Acephobia/Arophobia, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, War, Mental illness, Alcohol, Transphobia, Colonisation, Misogyny, Outing, Deportation, Gaslighting, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexism, Slavery, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, Sexual harassment, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence

bruisedtigers's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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

3.0

This was disappointing after seeing it so highly praised and discussed. I really enjoyed the first half, but the second half falls flat, and the conclusion didn't land for me at all. There are too many characters, very few of which are unique enough to easily tell them apart, and that made all the war games difficult to follow. I kept mixing up who belonged where, what they offered, and their personalities didn't stand out. It might've been better if (major ending spoilers)

Baru's betrayal wasn't a 'surprise twist' -- and the reader experienced her struggle more directly through the whole war. Instead, since it's all her POV, she abruptly just becomes less insightful as a narrator, and you can put two-and-two together. Justice for Tain Hu, the only really good character. If I didn't already know she died, this would've probably made me much more upset about it. I think they needed to actually be together for more than one night for that betrayal to really cut deep. Instead, it feels gaudy.

I probably won't pick up the sequels, unfortunately. Highly suggest looking up content warnings as well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Death, Outing, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, War, and Xenophobia

theirgracegrace's review

challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.75

The Traitor Baru Cormorant asks the hard questions about what it means to rule in a way that very few court intrigues ever have. Baru's homeland has been conquered by the Masquerade, and she has spent her life preparing to take it down. But in order to get to the heart of its government, she needs to prove herself as the capable and brilliant ruler she is. Filled with enough worldbuilding and plot twists to keep Baru and the reader constantly guessing, I can say with certainty that I'll never read the likes of this book again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Slavery, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Gore, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Death, Racism, Sexism, War, Cursing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Body horror, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Animal death, Biphobia, Genocide, Misogyny, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Murder, Trafficking, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Gun violence

Minor: Cancer, Cultural appropriation, and Cannibalism

untoworthy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Slavery, Racism, Murder, Genocide, Homophobia, Xenophobia, War, Lesbophobia, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Torture

Minor: Alcoholism and Alcohol

chimera999's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Violence, Colonisation, Death, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Blood and Misogyny

Minor: Slavery and Forced institutionalization

jurizprudence's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

pov: you open this expecting a witty review and plot summary but are instead greeted by a video of me screaming sobbing throwing up etc for 30 minutes straight

but really. this book is a masterpiece that examines an in-depth portrayal of colonization, morality, political machinations, and the horrors of empire. it's about a super smart and super repressed gay accountant and her singular goal to avenge her family and free her homeland by rising high enough in the Masquerade’s hierarchy to destroy it from within. lots of economics, finance, and monetary polices that will challenge your mind. the prose is immaculate and the plot and twists were finely executed. really dark and gritty, it tackles colonialism and its tolls on the oppressed and subjugated in a realistic way, and because of that, it is not an easy read. cw for almost everything, because this book (the whole series itself) does not hold back from horrifying topics. honestly one of the best books i've read, and i'm already calling it, also one of my favorite reads this year.

read this if you like smart and clever heroines, political intrigue, tragic sapphic romance, grotesque amount of pain and betrayal, and long-lasting emotional damage. the main ship can jam to my tears ricochet ‼

read this and get ready to be devastated by dashing lesbians with unlimited loyalty. come join me and come cry with me :'(

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, War, Alcoholism, Death, Genocide, and Racism

Moderate: Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Gore, Sexual harassment, and Slavery

Minor: Trafficking and Animal death

mayaccountant's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Trafficking, War, Murder, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation

Moderate: Rape, Violence, Racism, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Genocide, and Forced institutionalization

ccrowder's review

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• 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? It's complicated

Just finished reading this and still figuring out how I feel about it, which I feel should tell you much about it as a story. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, Torture, Sexism, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Outing, Murder, Lesbophobia, Genocide, and Colonisation

Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture

Bury your gays trope abounds