Reviews tagging 'Injury/injury detail'

Freshwater, by Akwaeke Emezi

26 reviews

eliakine's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

this was a bit of a tricky read! not because it was difficult to read, the narrative voice was so clear, it made actually reading the book feel lovely and smooth. the topics discussed however were very heavy and numerous, so it's definitely not one for the faint of heart. even still, I don't regret picking it up at all, I just know that going forward I should be more careful to familiarise myself with content warnings before starting to read lol

I really enjoyed reading about Ada, and Emezi so skillfully wrote from so many different perspectives and voices this truly was a wonderful time. :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Injury/injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Child abuse, Homophobia, and Transphobia

Minor: Physical abuse, Violence, and Outing

zitalilla's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, Rape, Dysphoria, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Suicide

kanadrallegria's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

A very unique approach to mental health and spiritualism. Dark yet hopeful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Rape, and Cursing

Moderate: Mental illness, Child abuse, Injury/injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, and Abandonment

Minor: Car accident, Drug use, Medical content, and Sexual harassment

allisonbrooke's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Transphobia, Car accident, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Abortion, Biphobia, Body shaming, Homophobia, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Incest, Grief, Mental illness, and Sexual harassment

mzynda's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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: Rape, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Blood, and Injury/injury detail

kumquats87's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria and Gaslighting

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Animal death, Child abuse, Sexual content, Child death, Colonisation, Self harm, Body horror, Biphobia, Mental illness, Medical content, and Injury/injury detail

Minor: Violence, Transphobia, and Suicidal thoughts

hopemarie_f_hughes's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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

3.0

This book was wild, to say the least. I was intrigued with the concept but felt a little lost towards the end. Definitely not my favorite book, but it was not a bad book by any means. It’s different from any other book I’ve read before, and I enjoyed being able to branch out in this way! 

Make sure to check CWs for this one as there is a lot of triggering material. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Sexual content, Rape, and Blood

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Injury/injury detail, Eating disorder, Addiction, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

am2ara's review against another edition

Content warning 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/injury detail, Blood, Self harm, and Abandonment

Moderate: Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Car accident, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape

thebakersbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

Akwaeke Emezi's debut novel Freshwater was the perfect book to boost me out of a reading slump. The prose is beautiful, the characters full of energy and detail, the experiences visceral. This is a book of sharp and jagged edges that cut to the emotional quick. I don't have the skill as a reviewer to do this story justice, but I enjoyed it a lot, even the painful parts.

It's odd to call such a dreamlike book relatable, but the main character of Freshwater was easy to connect to even when her specific struggles weren't ones I'd experienced. Ada's exploration of gender and sexuality were particularly special to me as someone with similar experiences. I'd be remiss not to mention that intersections of cultural and sexual/gender identity are unique to those who live them; as a white U.S.ian reader, I'm sure much of the nuance of being Black, Nigerian, an immigrant, etc. AND queer went over my head. That didn't diminish my enjoyment of reading it at all, and I hope will add to the richness of the experience for readers who do share those identities as well.

Freshwater is a short book but not necessarily a quick read; it grapples with a number of serious topics including rape, trauma, and grief. Nevertheless, the hints of magic and myth, whether real or allegorical, add a bit of lightness and much-needed distance from events that happen to Ada. There is joy amidst the pain that overshadows much of Ada's life, and the payoff when she eventually begins to understand herself more and come into her own feels like its own kind of magic. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time, a standout as both a literary work and a fantasy novel. I highly recommend this book to adult readers.

Content notes: accidental child injury (graphic); self-harm throughout; rape; eating disorder/anorexia; abusive relationships; drug use; alcohol addiction; gender dysphoria; outing a trans character; mild/brief homophobia; child sexual assault; suicide attempt

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Drug use, Injury/injury detail, Alcoholism, and Blood

Minor: Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Outing, and Transphobia

penguiniq's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, and Mental illness

Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Injury/injury detail, Infidelity, and Transphobia