Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

207 reviews

gandalf_a's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

Graphic: Death, Grief, Genocide, Slavery, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, War, and Mental illness

Minor: Eating disorder, Self harm, Racism, Blood, Animal death, Child death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury

ren_the_hobbit's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious 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 loved this book! I need to go find the music it’s based off of so I can see the different forms of the story as they come together. Super cool concept and great writing!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Slavery

gabepants's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death, Slavery, and Child death

culpeppper's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious sad

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

3.75

I already wrote out a review and it didn't save, so I'm gonna do a bullet point style thing here:

• The metaphors were immense, sometimes clever and sometimes a little too on the nose, but largely the use of weaving those metaphors into the story was done well and enhanced the reading experience. As an example, the descriptions in the underwater mimic the setting, relying on feelings and ideas to form the world before Yetu goes to the surface where descriptions change to more solid things rather than concepts. 
• The story has multiple perspectives. Though I do feel it worked thematically to have these other perspectives, and the stories they told enhanced our perspective, but it was always jarring and confusing in a way that took me a bit out of the story sometimes. 
• It's a work of creative wonder, filled with countless concepts, and it's inspired me to read more of Solomon's work so I can have a longer experience that I think will suit their style of writing better. 

Overall, there were some things it lacked that could have built out the world a bit more, and the pacing felt weird and off at times, I think that's partially the form and maybe some stylistic elements I don't fully understand. But I liked the experience of this world, of this look into our world, and the use of history and remembering as critical to it. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Abandonment, Genocide, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Grief, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Xenophobia, Colonisation, Animal death, and Confinement

Minor: War, Child death, and Fire/Fire injury

xxenjoy's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely loved this book. I initially picked it up without reading any summary because the premise was intriguing, and I'm so glad I did. This is not an easy read, due to the subject matter, but I would recommend it to anyone open to something darker. And to anyone finding it too difficult

the second half is not quite as heavy as the first.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Slavery

Minor: Gore and Suicidal thoughts

I would warn anyone especially sensitive to things like overstimulation. As someone who experiences it fairly often, parts of the book were difficult to get through, mostly in the first half.

rainbopagn's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

This is a heavy hitter, with the MC being an allegory for generational trauma. The author intentionally makes you uncomfortable as you are not sure if you want the MC to return home or not. I think this is a must read for anyone who as the privilege of NOT knowing intergenerational or racial trauma.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Physical abuse, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Pregnancy, Genocide, War, Suicide attempt, Murder, Grief, and Colonisation

Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual violence, Animal death, and Physical abuse

adearajean's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? Yes

3.5

A quick read/listen. Parts felt underdeveloped. It focused on the atmosphere/history instead of plot and there were times I wanted more but worth a listen. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Slavery, Grief, and Death

megan1002's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

Wow. This book is so painful and profound. The writing is so beautiful and impactful. This is proof that beautiful writing can be simple.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Genocide

lue_moon's review against another edition

5.0

Overall excellent. Better worldbuilding in a short amount of time than the first 150 pages of other fantasy books I have read. Though I wouldn't have minded existing in that world for longer, it's a complete story that makes a strong impact, including beautiful exploration of ancestral/generational/cultural trauma, memory keeping, and how that is processed/stored within bodies.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Genocide, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Animal death and Pregnancy

grace_b_3's review against another edition

reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

This a very meditative novella that touches on memory, history, and community. This definitely feels like a book that sits with you. While I wish that the world-building was a little bit more developed, I understand that that is not the point of this book. It says what it needs to say.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Death

Moderate: Slavery