Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

12 reviews

mxpringle's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

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

2.5

I really wanted to love this book, and I had really high expectations, but it just fell a little flat for me. I felt like the first third of the book really gripped me, but after a certain point it just felt like the same sequence of events were being taking place, just with different audiences each time. However, I do really appreciate the political and social commentary that this book added that made it much more complex than simply an alien invasion story in Lagos.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Rape

theaceofpages's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

2.75

I was unfortunately rather disappointed by this book. I read and enjoyed the Akata Witch books a few years back and was excited to see my library had a different book by this author. I don't know if it's the book or if my tastes have just changed, but this one just didn't do it for me in the same way.

I don't know, it was often kind of confusing and could have used an edit to make the plot more streamlined. I was a little frustrated by all the A names (I know this is minor but it added to my frustrations). It got weird and interesting towards the end but then what should have been a big event is dismissed in a few lines. The plot keeps jumping around and randomly changing pace. There is just too much happening for the page count and a lot gets lost or forgotten. Don't get me wrong, chaotic books can be interesting. This one just has too much and struggled to resolve itself properly.

A disclaimer for this part: I do not live in Lagos (although I do live in Africa). As much as the city obviously means a lot to the author (as shown through some of the characters), something felt off to me. I know she was born in and grew up in the USA and I feel like it shows to some extent. I have seen similar sentiments from other reviewers, but others enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong, it's not book breakingly bad or anything, but it also didn't quite feel right either...

I had such high hopes for this book and maybe that's why it let me down... If this book sounds interesting to you I wouldn't say not to read it, but rather to be aware that you are going into something that is strange, chaotic and frustrating at times 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Homophobia, and Misogyny

Minor: Death, Infidelity, and Rape

scytheria's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Transphobia, Murder, Homophobia, Rape, Gun violence, Terminal illness, War, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Slavery and Infidelity

gilnean's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Death, Hate crime, Murder, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Body horror, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, and Blood

Moderate: Rape, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Child death, and Cursing

Minor: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Death of parent, Car accident, Infidelity, Alcohol, Child abuse, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Animal death, Physical abuse, and Excrement

rexpostfacto's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Ableism, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Rape, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

crlpedigo's review

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-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? No

5.0

This book is unlike anything I’ve read before.  I consumed this book quickly and it’s presence lingered in my mind.  This is what sci-fi books should be, Lagoon is a stunner!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Misogyny and Rape

mordshunger's review

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

I wanted to love this book. It is full of dazzling ideas and interesting threads to pull at, but around the halfway point I had to accept that it wasn't going to do much about any of them. I found it very chaotic and unfocused, not because it switches perspectives or doesn't answer questions - no, it felt more like an idea pitched, a heap of intrigue with not much else behind it. In the end, it just wasn't for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, and Gore

Minor: Rape

becksusername's review

adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Car accident, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, and War

sarah984's review

adventurous hopeful 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

3.0

This is interesting take on the first contact story. Cool ideas and great character voices (the one-chapter animal characters were particular standouts), but I found the story a little unfocused and disjointed, especially around the midpoint when the gods showed up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Outing, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Sexism

Minor: Colonisation, Medical content, Rape, Terminal illness, and Vomit

exlibris007's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

Minor: Bullying