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Reviews tagging 'Self harm'
Así se pierde la guerra del tiempo by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
41 reviews
blumoonie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
4.0
it took me such a goddamn long time to finish this book because I had surgery… I’ll pretend that was it.
I was deeply impressed by the end, when I could look back and appreciate all the foreshadowing. The prose, too, was unlike anything I’ve ever read— poetic, leaving plenty of space for the reader to comprehend imagery and plot on their own. this was, unfortunately, the single drawback of this novel… it was a struggle for me to read in my anaesthesia-induced state; I would sit puzzling over single sentences for hours. That said, now that I’ve been able to approach it with a clear head, I can enjoy the style much more. I’d recommend this to anyone who’s into timey-whimey sci-fi topped off with queer romanticism and a sprinkle of mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Self harm and Suicide attempt
teddyotso's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
this is the most romantic piece of literature I’ve ever read . I finished reading it and immediately started it over to read it again . I annotated it and mailed it to my best friend and she is now annotating it and I’m sure I will be reading it a third time when she mails it back . 5 stars .
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Suicide, and Violence
samanthaleereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement and Self harm
rickireadss's review against another edition
4.0
this was a mind trip for sure. in some ways, i feel like i actually kinda understood what was happening, but in other ways, i feel like i was much too stupid for this book haha. i enjoyed listening to this on audio. the gasp i gusped at that ending-- WTF. overall, i had a good time, but i'm still not sure i understood 100% of what happened/was happening/where that ending took us.
representation: Sapphic FMCs
content warnings:death, violence, war, blood, murder, body horror, gore, injury/injury detail, grief, torture, suicide attempt, genocide, self harm, confinement, stalking, abandonment
representation: Sapphic FMCs
content warnings:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Self harm, Torture, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
brynalexa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
I had been saving this book for a time when I could focus since I’d kept reading reviews that claimed this was confusing. I am so sorry I waited because it was perfectly paced, had perfectly subtle word building, and just enough mystery. I kept thinking “oh it should have ended there!” And then reading one more section and saying it again.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Stalking, and War
clementine9's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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
It's an enemies-to-lovers story in the most wonderfully tense, forbidden-love kind of way. It's immensely satisfying to see very different people become more and more curious about each other's lives and thoughts. The pacing of this book is beautiful. The first "I love you" spills out in an overflowing deluge after being held back behind the dam for so long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Violence, and War
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Suicide attempt
q_bert13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
An interestingly arranged story of correspondence between two alien agents of opposing forces. Not plot heavy at all- chapters include little increments of world building/action, and end with a letter addressed from one mc to the other. A quick, possibly at times confusing read- but overall super enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Stalking
Minor: Body shaming, Sexual content, and Colonisation
twistykris's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
A beautiful novella that tells a love story through letters over time travel. So much of this left my brain feeling like it was melting- I'm not super familiar with reading this genre of like, "poetic, high sci-fi", but the love story was just so captivating to me.
This will definitely require a re-read in the future, so I can really absorb the setting the next time around.
This will definitely require a re-read in the future, so I can really absorb the setting the next time around.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Torture, and War
the_bees_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.25
An amazing piece of time-travelling scifi, centered around two characters called Red and Blue, that begin as rivals and end as something so much more than that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Self harm
nannahnannah's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is one of the most original novels I've ever read, and it's definitely the best romance novel I've ever read. I'm not a huge fan of these, but if people write more like this one, I may just change my opinion.
Representation:
- both protagonists are sapphic
- one of the protagonists is a person of color
Two sides fight a war using time and potential futures, trying to win the best possible future for themselves. What begins as an agent from one side writing a mocking letter to another on the opposite side ends with both of them falling in love. But in this war in which winning means losing a love, is it possible to find a happy outcome?
I don't think I've ever read an epistolary novel … it gets a bit tedious, to be honest, but perhaps that's just because I'm not used to it. That said, I fell in love with the writing style(s) at the very first line. And there are some absolutely gorgeous lines, too — my favorite being "I want to meet you in every place I ever loved." The main characters also give us information about things, even about themselves, at a very satisfyingly slow rate. It's a good way to keep the interest up.
Another interesting thing about this book is the lack of any described setting, or not much of it. Another reviewer said it very well (and I can't remember who it was, sorry!): "We never get a setting, because the setting doesn't matter. This is, in essence, a pure romance book." What matters is not the war around them, but the relationship developing between these two agents themselves.
I do wish, however, that the two leads had more distinct voices. I don't doubt that they're two different people, Red being a robot or cyborg who's kind of stiff and not used to being social, and Blue being an organic shape-shifting creature with a sense of humor and a love for pop culture. But very little of this comes through the actual language of the letters themselves. I don't think I could tell their voices apart if I was shown an example (which is funny, because each author wrote a different character — they work really well together!).
Afterthoughts: after sitting on this for a couple months, I think one of the reasons people love this book so much is that apart from 2-3 character traits, the MCs don't really have fully fleshed personalities to distinguish them. In this way, it's easy to project onto them as a sort of wish fulfillment. And this isn't a criticism. Because this book is so unique, I think it works here.
Representation:
- both protagonists are sapphic
- one of the protagonists is a person of color
Two sides fight a war using time and potential futures, trying to win the best possible future for themselves. What begins as an agent from one side writing a mocking letter to another on the opposite side ends with both of them falling in love. But in this war in which winning means losing a love, is it possible to find a happy outcome?
I don't think I've ever read an epistolary novel … it gets a bit tedious, to be honest, but perhaps that's just because I'm not used to it. That said, I fell in love with the writing style(s) at the very first line. And there are some absolutely gorgeous lines, too — my favorite being "I want to meet you in every place I ever loved." The main characters also give us information about things, even about themselves, at a very satisfyingly slow rate. It's a good way to keep the interest up.
Another interesting thing about this book is the lack of any described setting, or not much of it. Another reviewer said it very well (and I can't remember who it was, sorry!): "We never get a setting, because the setting doesn't matter. This is, in essence, a pure romance book." What matters is not the war around them, but the relationship developing between these two agents themselves.
I do wish, however, that the two leads had more distinct voices. I don't doubt that they're two different people, Red being a robot or cyborg who's kind of stiff and not used to being social, and Blue being an organic shape-shifting creature with a sense of humor and a love for pop culture. But very little of this comes through the actual language of the letters themselves. I don't think I could tell their voices apart if I was shown an example (which is funny, because each author wrote a different character — they work really well together!).
Afterthoughts: after sitting on this for a couple months, I think one of the reasons people love this book so much is that apart from 2-3 character traits, the MCs don't really have fully fleshed personalities to distinguish them. In this way, it's easy to project onto them as a sort of wish fulfillment. And this isn't a criticism. Because this book is so unique, I think it works here.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm