Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Witchmark by C.L. Polk

6 reviews

futureofmydays's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Colonisation, Suicide, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Cancer, Confinement, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Genocide, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism

meganpbell's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful 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

4.75

Magic, mystery, queer romance, and criticism of class privilege suffuse this atmospheric Edwardian-inspired fantasy! In a world at war, a doctor with a hidden past and secret magical abilities allies with an alluring gentleman to investigate the murder of a patient and a pattern of inexplicable killings by the very veterans he heals, only to discover true evil may not reside across enemy lines but in all of that which powers the empire at home.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Kidnapping, Medical content, Colonisation, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Murder, Homophobia, and War

purplepenning's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

Moderate: Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Torture, Slavery, Medical content, Homophobia, Drug use, and Emotional abuse

archcon's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book. The beautiful writing and descriptions pulled me into the world better than anything I've read in a long time. The world details that were just there and not necessarily explained made it feel natural that I should know them and, again, pulled me in. And then the romance. Tender and sweet and organic.

As someone interested in WWI, I enjoyed the clear parallels and the interesting new aspects added to the familiar parts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, Forced institutionalization, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Confinement, and Mental illness

Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and War

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Drug use

aardwyrm's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A tightly plotted mystery with lots of stakes and intrigue and enough clever worldbuilding interwoven with the historical inspiration to be fun to follow. The romance is given a center stage that it doesn't quite earn, but the relationships are otherwise interestingly sketched.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, War, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Gore, and Death of parent

Minor: Colonisation and Suicide

allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? No

4.0

In this intriguing Edwardian fantasy, readers are blessed with a warm-hearted idealist as our hero. Dr. Miles Singer is in some ways a rule follower who can't fathom selfish motives behind noble acts, and in others, he is a rebel who would run from home and defy his father to stand free and use his gifts to help others. He is such a gentle soul, and I would love to read more fantasy protagonists with his overwhelming kindness.

The story draws on many relevant social issues. Classism is a major component here, since lower class witches are shipped off to asylums, whereas the ruling class of mages keeps their power secret, even as they use it to advance their own importance. Imperialism, war, and its traumas are also a large presence here. Miles works as a psychiatrist at a veterans' hospital. Once a prisoner of war himself, Miles' empathy and patients-first attitude make him well-loved by the men he serves. He can't use his magic healing abilities to help for fear of being accused of witchcraft, so he trudges along, filing paperwork, arguing with his boss, and doing his best with limited resources. I really resonated with the way his empathy was trampled on by bureaucracy, politics, and lack of funds.

There was so much to love here. I would say the world-building skews towards social rather than magical detail. I loved the descriptions of bike traffic (including an adrenaline-filled chase scene!), fashion, and technology. There's also a very sweet mlm romance that had a light touch on the story but was still fully realized rather than an afterthought. In addition, a complicated brother/sister relationship left me with a mix of emotions. The layers of mystery and power-grabbing machinations in the story were captivating. I am eager to dive into the rest of the trilogy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Blood, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Medical content, and Murder

Minor: Cancer, Suicide, and Torture