Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin

17 reviews

abijmieds's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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

I rarely give a final book 5 stars, but this book wrapped up the trilogy in such a memorable and satisfying way. You have to pay attention through the final third, but it really pays off.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Child abuse, Colonisation, and Death

Moderate: Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Grief, Murder, Child abuse, Violence, War, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness

amyhasel's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

I was in love with this series from the first page of the first book, and this finale is it. N. K. Jemisin is able to balance horror and humor like no one else - it manages to be realistic, gory, and then lighthearted in a moment. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Death of parent, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Child death and Physical abuse

gandalf_a's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Abandonment, Body horror, Murder, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Death, and Cursing

Minor: War, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Slavery

bergha1998's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

What an end to this series. The world building was incredible though very complex. I will ceaselessly love all three of the main characters. Very sad too, especially with getting all the background information and how everything is built on racism and xenophobia. Important for the very same reason. 

Found Family, Complex Discussions of Racism

“No need for guards when you can convince people to collaborate in their own internment.”

“Well, some worlds are built on a fault line of pain, held up by nightmares. Don’t lament when those worlds fall. Rage that they were built doomed in the first place.”

“(It bothers her that she does this, watching him constantly for shifts of mood or warnings of tension. It is another thing she learned from Jija. She cannot seem to shed it with Schaffa, or anyone else.)”

“But there are none so frightened, or so strange in their fear, as conquerors. They conjure phantoms endlessly, terrified that their victims will someday do back what was done to them—even if, in truth, their victims couldn’t care less about such pettiness and have moved on. Conquerors live in dread of the day when they are shown to be, not superior, but simply lucky.”

“I think,” Hoa says slowly, “that if you love someone, you don’t get to choose how they love you back.”

“There are stages to the process of being betrayed by your society. One is jolted from a place of complacency by the discovery of difference, by hypocrisy, by inexplicable or incongruous ill treatment. What follows is a time of confusion—unlearning what one thought to be the truth. Immersing oneself in the new truth. And then a decision must be made.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Body horror, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Grief, Slavery, Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Death of parent, Blood, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Death, Confinement, Cursing, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and Xenophobia

brynalexa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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? No

4.25

A truly strange and wonderful story. The themes of exploitation, community, bigotry, and fear were carried through with a clever nuance that will have me thinking about this world for weeks. There was a fairly large plot hole (

if Hoa can take Essun, or anyone, through the Earth to a known location of another, why didn’t he just do it in the first book, or after Meov?

) that was quite distracting. Overall it came together in a satisfying and frustrating conclusion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Murder, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Confinement, and Racial slurs

Minor: Rape, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts

thewileyseven's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

I would give it more than five stars if I could. The stunning finale to easily the most beautiful, captivating, thoughtful, enticing, and important trilogy of modern SFF. I am just blown away by the world created in these books and the way it has so irrevocably changed mine. Cannot recommend these highly enough. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Torture, Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Death, Child abuse, Colonisation, and War

deedubb's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad 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

5.0

This series is nothing short of a masterpiece. Social commentary, fantasy, great world building, interesting magic system, emotional moments, multiple POVs female main characters, POC characters. It’s got I all.

ending is bittersweet and satisfying.  All loose threads are tied up.  Not a wholly happy ending, Jemisin let’s us mourn with Nassun

this work will continue to resonate with me for many years to come. I definitely  have a book hangover after finishing the series 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, and Slavery

Minor: Child death, Cursing, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, and Racial slurs

ecmbeanie's review

adventurous mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Murder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Bullying, Colonisation, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Child abuse, Classism, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Pregnancy

drips's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.5

a few tiny plot holes nagged at me but overall it's a beautiful heart wrenching conclusion to the trilogy. what a pleasure to raze through a series in a week again (and so much food for thought to boot! i'll probably read these again one day, maybe in paperback)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Murder, Mental illness, Grief, Gore, Genocide, Body horror, Blood, Child abuse, War, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Cannibalism, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Animal death, and Colonisation

Minor: Cursing and Vomit

abbyschalupa's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts