Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

140 reviews

jules6469's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The story of hope, faith, and love in this book makes it worth reading, hard as it may be. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Genocide, Child death, Violence, Medical trauma, Hate crime, Grief, Mental illness, War, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Islamophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Police brutality, Medical content, and Torture

Minor: Rape

blueghost's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Death

proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative 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

5.0

Salama is 18 and always busy at the hospital. Although she hasn't finished her education, the revolution has forced her to do work she's not ready for. She's promised her brother Hamza to take care of his wife Layla, who's also Salama's best friend. Layla and her unborn child is all she has left, but despite the life-threatening situation they’re in, Salama finds it hard to leave those who need her at the hospital. And even if she decides to flee, survival is not guaranteed. 

This is a sad and tragic story, but beautifully told. The fact that it shows Syria's own history is almost unfathomable, but also very real when faced with pictures of what's happening in G*za every day. My heart breaks, gets mended - and breaks again. 

"We don't have to stop living because we might die. Anyone might die at any given moment, anywhere in the world. We're not an exception. We just see death more regularly than they do."

Alongside all awfulness a love story grows. Maybe because it's a YA novel, but the contrast between love and war makes everything even more clear, and I needed those breathing holes. The author also has a skilled way of showing how PDTS can express itself, and it's a vital part of the story. 

I went through all kinds of emotions while reading, and I needed to take a break and read something else in between. Although it's partly hard to read I wish that many do. It will stay in my mind for a long time. 

"Everyone is dying. Nothing I do works. My brain hurts. I haven't slept well in over a year. I feel like I'm screaming into an abyss that just swallows everything up. Soon enough it will swallow me too."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, War, Death of parent, Grief, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pregnancy, and Violence

lucystolethesky's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Mental illness, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Death, War, Sexual violence, Rape, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Violence, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Genocide, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Vomit, Self harm, Torture, Child abuse, and Rape

Minor: Confinement, Slavery, Trafficking, and Torture

rimsha04's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, War, Sexual assault, Rape, and Death of parent

Moderate: Blood, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Violence, and Murder

gabriellegoldenhour's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Child death, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Death of parent, Genocide, Hate crime, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War

tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad slow-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, War, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Body horror, Death, Medical content, Child death, and Gore

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

ceebee86's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This book is the love letter to Syria.

I read this for an AAPI month challenge and I'm so glad I powdered through--not because it was hard for me to be interested, but because the subject matter is quite intense. Yet at the same time it is so wistful and gorgeous. I was extremely stressed reading it, and I was praying so desperately for good things to happen. 

I read a lot of stories with romance but this is the first I've read in a long time where I really genuinely felt love between the two characters coming through the pages.

I thought it was beautiful the way the story is dotted with "what ifs". They were so melancholic and dreamy to read. And though this is about Syria, I do think the themes and stories of the plight of the refugee transcends time and history.

The twist near the end part of the book stunned me. It was set up artfully and I felt myself react quite strongly, as if I was there experiencing the same shock.

Gorgeous book, if you can stomach the content. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Child abuse, Blood, War, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Genocide

Moderate: Eating disorder and Pregnancy

leaknezevic's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Death of parent, Child death, Violence, Murder, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Death, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, War, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Medical content, Blood, and Genocide

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Grief, Murder, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Violence, Police brutality, Torture, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Blood, Child death, Sexual violence, and War