Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

65 reviews

sadhbhprice's review

dark mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Animal death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Stalking, Gore, Violence, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Homophobia, and Police brutality

Minor: Slavery, Medical trauma, Child death, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death of parent, Medical content, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

mirrorofneptune's review

dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.5

I think this is objectively a very good book. It weaves together themes of race, gender, generational trauma related to both of the aforementioned topics, body horror, sexuality, transformation, and systemic abuse of power. I appreciated the running theme of the body and how it relates to the self, and I thought the plot had good elements of sci-fi and horror.  

I only had a couple “valid” (in my words) problems with the book, chief among them being the ending– it felt rather deus ex machina to me and while I can understand it thematically, I think if the author had decided to

leave everyone dead

that also could have worked thematically. I also went into this book expecting a greater emphasis on the cult aspect and the nuances of how belief can be abused, and there was definitely some of that, but it felt somewhat overshadowed by the other themes, especially because

the cult leaders turn out to be government plants in the end

. Finally, some of this dialogue felt awkward to me, but I also think it’s hard to write any kind of dialogue where characters express political opinions and not have it sound a bit soapbox-y. So that’s not the author’s fault.

My completely-subjective (invalid) reason for rating this book so low is that I did not like the writing style at all. As in, I knew by the end of the first paragraph that I would not vibe with the book solely due to the writing style. I still powered through because the premise was interesting and I’m glad I did, but my opinion on the writing style has not changed. I think it aims to be poetic but to me it felt overwritten. Again this is a purely subjective opinion and doesn’t speak to the author’s ability at all, but it also did in essence ruin the experience of reading the book for me :(

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Racism, Body horror, and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Murder, Child abuse, and Child death

victorsbookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, and Child death

turtlebrainlibrarian's review

dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, and Homophobia

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Self harm, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, and Child death

cleot's review

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Alcoholism, Gore, Murder, Chronic illness, Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Body horror, Medical trauma, Stalking, Homophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Racism, Child abuse, Child death, Pregnancy, Transphobia, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Torture, Animal death, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Rape, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Suicide

human experimentation and parasitism are central themes

readsforlove's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-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

Check the content warnings, please. There really should be some in the book.

It's still too fresh but review is coming. For now I'll just say that this book digs into you and changes you. It's like nothing I've ever read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Body horror, Homophobia, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Death, Stalking, Self harm, Murder, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Sexual content

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Child abuse

calamitydane's review

adventurous emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book was fascinating start to finish. The themes, the voice, the settings, the characters were all engrossing and captivating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Child abuse, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Racism, Violence, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Child death, Murder, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Emotional abuse

transgender

,

intersex

,

lesbian

whimsylee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.75

An incredible and nuanced look at institutional racism, white supremacy, difference/othering,  and being a queer black mother in the USA. Rivers Solomon is an amazing writer. The sci-fi elements of this story perfectly complement the themes and the author’s overall message. I fell in love with so many of these deeply human characters and my heart was ripped out over and over again. I highly recommend this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Violence, Cannibalism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Gore, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Grief, Self harm, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Slavery, Stalking, Medical trauma, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Physical abuse, Racism, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Colonisation, and Terminal illness

autumnalis's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Animal death, Colonisation, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, Child death, and Violence

ehmannky's review

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-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

A beautiful book that meditates on the concepts of intergenerational trauma, systemic violence, the horrors of repeating abusive cycles and the pain of breaking away from them, and the healing power of queerness when it is allowed to thrive. Vern is spectacularly brutal and loving character, bringing to mind characters found in Octavia Butler's Parable duology. I loved the use of the supernatural to ponder violence, especially as it pertains to the United States and the government and how there's not really a place within the confines of this land that is free from this violence so long as you're in contact with other humans.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death, Death of parent, Sexism, Racism, Murder, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, Grief, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Blood, Pedophilia, Homophobia, Gun violence, Violence, Child death, and Self harm

Moderate: Physical abuse, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Homophobia