Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

13 reviews

bluestjuice's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

Oh my goodness. Sometimes a book just crawls inside your consciousness in the best way, you know? This is like that - this isn't the book I was expecting, and I had no idea what was going on through the first third and even less idea through the second third - but godsdamn, I was unquestioningly committed and on board for the entire ride. 

Nona is so, incredibly, real. This is one of Muir's great talents - despite writing a series that is utterly over-the-top space melodrama with gothic elements and skeletons and necromantic flourishes all over everything, they nevertheless create people that feel and act utterly peopley. Many authors can't convincingly write youthful characters even in ordinary circumstances; Muir portrays Nona's uncomprehending childishness in a way that is genuine and feels both true to the experience of the young without being the least bit saccharine. I loved Nona, entirely, and her protagonism resonated with me vigorously despite the twisty, adult, machination-y web of deceit and plotting that surrounded her nearly every step of the way. 

This is the third book in the series, which I have waited for a long time, and which I should clearly have bothered to do a re-read of previous to this because the lore here is deep and the references are layered in as thickly as Griddle's skull makeup back in <i>Gideon the Ninth</i>. On the other hand, having now skidded out the other side (I'm not kidding: I read the last 100 pages in a rare frenzy of <i><b>you don't understand I cannot put this down until I know what happens</b></i>), I have a burning desire to go re-read everything through again, to line up pieces and notice all the many things I'm sure I missed or didn't realize the significance of at the moment they were deployed.

Anyway, I don't even feel qualified to review this really because my emotions are leaking out all over the place and I don't know what to say to explain how enjoyable I find this series and this installment. In all its infuriating circuitous mystery. I can't believe I have to keep waiting to find out what happens next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Body horror, Gun violence, Cursing, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Death, and Genocide

Moderate: Grief, Violence, Mental illness, Dysphoria, War, Panic attacks/disorders, and Colonisation

Minor: Religious bigotry, Eating disorder, Cannibalism, Toxic friendship, and Child death

iane_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Terminal illness, Suicide, Confinement, Blood, Violence, Xenophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Racism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Cursing, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Car accident, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Genocide, Vomit, Trafficking, and Addiction

Minor: Cannibalism, Alcohol, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, and War

abarnakwn_ourcolourfulpages's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, War, Murder, Blood, Self harm, Death, Violence, Gore, and Medical content

Moderate: Eating disorder, Cursing, Confinement, and Xenophobia

Minor: Cannibalism, Gun violence, and Vomit

therealratking's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Violence, Body horror, Murder, Death, Genocide, War, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Cannibalism

traa's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Body horror, Gun violence, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Murder, Self harm, War, and Medical content

Moderate: Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Cursing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, and Vomit

Minor: Cannibalism

leanne_miron's review

adventurous dark lighthearted 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Genocide, Eating disorder, Body horror, Cannibalism, and Chronic illness

vercopaanir's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Murder, War, Gun violence, Colonisation, Eating disorder, Gore, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Terminal illness, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Drug use, Cursing, Body horror, and Blood

Minor: Cannibalism

dancers_and_dragons's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional 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

5.0

This is both the quickest read and the most complex of The Locked Tomb series so far, Nona the Ninth is absolutely stunning in the connections it draws, the questions it answers, and the myriad more questions it creates for the reader. If I hadn't already understood some things about Gideon and Harrow the Ninth (the books, not the characters), this book would be utterly incomprehensible, but knowing what I do know I gained some snippets of understanding from within the lack of comprehension. 

Seriously such a good book, from the relationships to the intercallary chapters to the hints that Muir sprinkles throughout, both the obvious and the less so. It's definitely a challenging book, but well worth the read, especially as an audiobook. Moira Quirk does an excellent job with the voices, which does help with some of the chapters when dialogue jumps back and forth between people. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Murder, Drug use, Blood, Violence, Terminal illness, Mental illness, War, and Grief

Minor: Cannibalism

lovebugs's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad 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'm ruined. Very emotional, somehow the most tragic in the series so far. I loved Nona, Pyrrha, Camilla, and Palamedes and I'll miss them all very much. :-(((((

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Gore, Grief, Violence, and Vomit

symbio's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is a sigh of relief after the tension of the previous book, but it is very much the calm before the storm, and we see only the very beginning of that storm in the epilogue. Nona as a narrator is a breath of fresh air; she’s clueless and clumsy, but so full of love it radiates to everyone who touches her. 

Dramatic irony is central to the book. There are no slap to the face reveals like in previous books; instead, each reveal is a gentle confirmation of suspicions the astute reader could garner from previous installments. Muir again proves that something being predictable is rewarding when done well. 

Unlike its predecessor, Nona gets more confusing toward the end of the book as the conclusion reveals itself. Go ahead and strap in for faces new and familiar and souls familiar and foreign. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Gun violence

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Cannibalism, Vomit, and Medical content