Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna

5 reviews

marena02's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Slavery, War, Abandonment, Genocide, Grief, Blood, Body horror, Death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Transphobia, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Torture

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexism, Self harm, Blood, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Vomit, War, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Body horror, Murder, Pedophilia, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Confinement, Cursing, Misogyny, Grief, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Torture, Classism, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Genocide

lpdx's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, War, Blood, Death, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, and Fire/Fire injury

sewer_rat's review

adventurous dark 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? Yes

3.5

It was very predictable

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Violence, Slavery, Sexism, and Blood

Moderate: Vomit and Sexual violence

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? No

4.0

 I wanted to read this book because I absolutely loved the first book in this series, the second I found out this was becoming a series, I instantly pre-ordered this book. It has been a long wait and oh boy it was worth the wait.  

This book follows sixteen-year-old Deka who lives in Otera. Which is an ancient kingdom who believe that a women’s worth is tied to the purity of her blood. On the day of the purity ceremony, Deka bleeds gold which is the colour of impurity and she is a demon. She is thrown into a new world where she has been banished from her home, her village and is left for dead. Until a mysterious woman saves her and tells her the truth: she is an Alaki which is a near-immortal with amazing gifts. It has been six months since she found out she was an Alaki and she has freed the goddesses. There is now a war raging across the kingdom. Otereans now think jatu are traitors to the nation and Deka is getting called a monster. Deka is now tasked with freeing the rest of the goddesses, but when she begins to free them, she starts to see a strange symbol everything in places of worship and worn on armour. There is something evil about that symbol – when Deka looks at it, it makes her lose her senses and repels her power. She can’t seem to command the new deathshrieks and she can’t understand them when they speak. Deka knows that freeing the goddesses is just the beginning. Deka’s powers are getting stronger and she could be the key to saving the whole kingdom. 

I enjoyed this book. I still think the first book is better and such a good debut. But Namina Forna managed to carry on the storyline that it kept you intrigued. I love the found family trope in this book and how they all look after each other.  I love Deka and I think her growth in this book is beautiful. The way that she thinks that no one is going to love her to being the hero and having a well-protected family who love her to bits was so heart-warming. I loved the plot and the action in this book and the fact that there was still a hint of romance. It took me a while to get into this book but I think that’s because of the new terminology that you learn within this book 

I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen with Deka and the gang in the next book and hopefully don’t have to wait too long for the third book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and War