Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

75 reviews

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

Graphic: Death, Racism, Child death, Racial slurs, Violence, Confinement, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Medical content, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Murder, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, and Islamophobia

Moderate: Rape and Slavery

Minor: Antisemitism

caidyn's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

SUCH a good book. I wasn't sure what to expect and ended up blown away by it. I loved the characters and the story. Not to mention the suggestions about books to read to know the real history.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Child abuse, Child death, Racial slurs, Confinement, Racism, and Grief

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Death of parent

bookcaptivated's review against another edition

dark emotional informative tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Racial slurs, Murder, Death, Child death, Torture, Violence, Racism, Gore, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Sexual violence and Death of parent

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Suicide

mamaofperfectpayton's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

Wow. What a book. It was hard for me to read the first 250 because I have difficulty reading books about injustices during the Jim Crow era. I could only read a few pages at a time for about 4 weeks. But starting around chapter 20… BABY WHEW… the story took a turn and I was on the edge of my seat. The last 50 pages or so felt so real that it seemed like I was there while reading. There is an extremely long list of content warnings, so please beware. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Police brutality, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Bullying, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Sexual assault

fina44's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Death of parent, Cancer, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Grief, Classism, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, Rape, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Torture, Confinement, Racism, Violence, Vomit, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Gun violence

jillian_elizabeth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? No

5.0

Beautifully written, well researched, compelling, and heartbreaking. This is an emotionally challenging read, but everyone should read this masterpiece. The audiobook is narrated so well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, Racism, Child abuse, Death, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape and Fire/Fire injury

janeadventures's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense 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: Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood, Racial slurs, Child death, and Racism

lilacsandliterature's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Child death, Pedophilia, Body horror, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Death, Murder, and Racism

wylovat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious 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: Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Child death, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Hate crime, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Racial slurs, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Death of parent, Rape, Sexism, and War

becandbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

 An incredibly personal, gut-wrenching, and transportative story inspired by the real-life horrors of Dozier School for Boys, The Reformatory drew me in from the beginning. Going into it, I knew I was settling into a disturbing tale. Still, I wasn't prepared to become so deeply invested in the narrative—not just the story of Robert and Grace but also the tale of the institution itself.

Rooted in a time after the abolition of slavery, when ingrained racism was rampant in the lives of Americans in the South, The Reformatory begins with this racism landing young Robert Jr in the Gracetown School for Boys. It is a place where every day is a fight for survival, and the trauma of the past does not stay buried in the ground. The plot then unfolds into a rich and encompassing story, lingering with ghosts and a fierce fight for justice.

The knowledge that these ghosts, whether real or not, have a place in history is chilling. The incorporation of subtle glimpses of possible story paths through the paranormal is done beautifully. Tananarive Due has crafted a story that will both grip and haunt readers from beginning to end.

Readers considering this story should be aware that it is by absolutely no means a light read. Review the trigger warnings if you are not comfortable with graphic and disturbing content. However, beneath all the horrendous aspects is a brilliantly written story that deserves immense praise. 

 

becandbooks.com ‧ the storygraph ‧ trigger warning database ‧ more links

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Racism, Torture, Racial slurs, and Child abuse

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Blood, Bullying, and Sexism

Minor: Sexual harassment, Slavery, and Vomit

→ trigger warnings: racism (including slurs & racial profiling), slavery mentioned, lynching mentioned, hate crimes, fire, incarceration (main theme), toxic masculinity, misogyny, bullying, child abuse, child death & murder, rape discussed, blood & injury depiction, sexual harassment, lashings, emesis/vomiting, stabbing & knife violence recounted, death from dog attack discussed, dead bodies discussed, gun violence