Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

72 reviews

greenrequiem's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, and Colonisation

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism

emmajwalls's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism

atamano's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Excrement, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism

babeinlibrary's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-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? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation

Minor: Vomit

botanbibliophile's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Murder, and Colonisation

yvespiders's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad

5.0

Though this is an emotional and challenging read, I love how Robert Jones, Jr. crafted this painful yet tender love story. He also seems to make references to things we see today, yet manages to maintain the authenticity of this historical fiction's time period. I fell in love with the female characters and was moved to tears by the two main characters' genuine love for each other.  
 
This book is a reminder not only of the trauma of white supremacy and slavery, but also of how hateful, colonial religious indoctrination feeds into the already existing greed of oppressors, and sadly can make us fight against our natural tendencies to love ourselves and others.
 
Like I said, this is not an easy book to read, so you might want to consider looking at the content warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence

kshertz's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

This was a very hard read. I think a lot of it went over my head honestly. The time of enslaved people with absolutely no holding back and no filters. I was constantly in tears or sick to my stomach. Which is definitely the seeming point. Isaiah and Samuel find love only again to be ripped apart. There was never going to be a happy ending during this time. It’s just all pain. Which makes it a hard, but necessary read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

kaaris's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad 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

« Et rien, dans la création, n’est capable d’arrêter ce qui advient. Rien. Sauf vous. » 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture

acorbett11216's review against another edition

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

So so good. Best novel I've read in a while. Complex and moving look at how gender and sexuality (both embodiments and attitudes) intersect with racialization and either subvert or uphold white supremacy in the context of a plantation in Mississippi. Haunting but also beautiful and in a way hopeful. Gorgeous writing and beautiful relationship between the two main characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence

theskyboi's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

At its center, this novel's narrative centers on Isaiah and Samuel, an enslaved couple on the Mississippi plantation disaffectionately known as Empty. However, the narration travels between the lives of all the plantation's major figures, weaving a careful, complex tapestry of sorrows, histories, and identities. While this book did take me rather long to finish, I don't find it to be a flaw; rather, I consider it a slower story that envelops you and begs you to consider each and every character in their totality.

Part of the pacing comes from the emotional weight of assessing the relationship we have to past cultures erased and exploited in the name of greed and power. Part of the pacing comes from the lyrical prose and poetry that Robert Jones Jr. expertly crafted on the pages of his debut novel. As an author, he utilizes each character's voice for the purposes of an emotional about-face between terror and tenderness.

I absolutely consider this book an essential addition to my shelf, and I feel enriched after having delved into the world of these forbidden lovers. However, the brutality of slavery cannot be ignored, so I present a brief notice to readers who know themselves to be sensitive in regard to such acts of violence.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, and Colonisation

Moderate: Miscarriage