Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

10 reviews

_david_'s review

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

This story was very different than the first part of the series. There was more focus on two main characters rather than an entire crew. Although the story felt less special/unique than the first book to me, I did enjoy reading it a lot.

I enjoyed the short chapters, it made the book a real page turner. It was a very heartwarming story about purpose and hope with plenty of frustration in between. I liked how the book ended as well. To me the highlight of the book was the chapter when they're in a ship with Tak. It made me "wow" out loud. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Animal death, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Child death, Slavery, and Classism

Moderate: Medical trauma, Violence, Vomit, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Infertility and Deadnaming

A description of hunger/food discipline/an underweight body is given because of tough survival conditions.

linblythe_pub22's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Dysphoria, Animal death, Alcohol, Body horror, and Child death

Minor: Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Xenophobia, Slavery, Classism, Vomit, Grief, and Ableism

moonknitter's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.75

Before I read this I was disappointed that the same characters of the first book would not really be in the second one but Becky Chambers has done it again. Even tho I was sad to not hear more about sissix & rosemary and even tho the whole Jenks & Lovelace storyline didn’t really appeal to me in the first book, the way this explored AI rights and genetic modification and both the utopian and dystopian aspects of both was just incredible, wholesome in some ways, and very inspiring! I’ve sometimes really hated books that go back n forth between 2. Characters or time periods but this one did it so incredibly well and I think the book would have not been as good if they’d been separate or only 1 together. When I got tired of sidra complaining about being in a body, the chapter ended and I got a glimpse of Jane working hard to survive. When I got tired of hearing the horrible parts of janes story, the chapter ended and I could learn about sidra experience something new for the first time. I’ve also been really terrified about the future of AI over the next few years just based on our society, and this book gave me a different perspective to all that. The Owl and Jane storyline was a big part of that for me. However, the ending was sort of confusing for me. I didn’t totally understand exactly what happened it was like tech jargon and it went over my head. On a basic level I kind of get it but it wasn’t super clear. I also think one thing this book did similar to the last one was that it was much more character based than plot based. The climax/ ending came fast and in the last 60 pages or so. Which was fine with me because I liked getting to understand these different worlds and seeing things for the first time through an AI perspective as well as Jane’s. Becky chambers also does a really great job of writing different voices. Janes voice as a 10 year old made it very easy to put yourself in her shoes, as did janes narration voice as a teenager (as she learned how to cuss and starts to be annoyed with Owl, as all teens do). This is a small thing but also the voice of Blue with his speech impediment is just a small thing that many authors wouldn’t think to do. Each character truly had a voice through her writing. The other thing I noticed as soon as janes story began is that it is very much Plato’s allegory of a cave and I think that allegory speaks to the parallels between both Sidra and Janes story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Confinement

Moderate: Cursing

analenegrace's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-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

4.25

This was a great follow-up to the first in the series! Sidra was a character I was excited to see the future of from the little bit of the first one, and getting to know Pepper and Blue, especially Pepper's past was so wonderful. Chambers' ability to write deeply emotional and realistic characters in this universe of aliens and humans off of earth is so fantastic. I can't wait to read the rest of the series! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Animal death, and Medical trauma

crimelessvictim's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Violence, Confinement, and Child death

innerweststreetlibrarian's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this one too! I liked the way the book is structured, flipping between the two intertwined stories. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Animal death

Moderate: Medical trauma, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, and Slavery

Minor: Infertility, Drug use, and Gore

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Child abuse

Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Body horror, Child death, Medical content, Vomit, Blood, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

roseltov's review

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book is so, so good I can't adequately express it. It's tender and moving and tense and incredible and funny and moving and everything. But as well as being all those things it's... unassuming too. Some of the most profound parts of the book were a couple of lines, or a few words. It's so delicately written. ITS AMAZING OMG READ IT.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical trauma and Violence

clacksee's review

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

5.0

Lovelace is the AI that manages the Wayfarer — until she finds herself freshly rebooted, no memories, and migrated to a human body. Pepper, my favourite character from Long Way, finds herself playing mother-figure to Lovelace.

Becky Chambers is the supreme ruler of character-driven science fiction. No one else creates characters that readers get deeply invested in quite like she does. She gives us the very best of found family.

My one complaint about The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet was the lack of a clear, cohesive plot. The characters in this book are every bit as compelling — possibly even more so. But what separates the two books is that this one follows a more traditional story arc.

If you’re someone who lives for action-heavy, bang-bang-pew-pew science fiction, this might not be your bag. But if you (like me) love story that puts the focus on the people, you’re going to love this one.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery, Animal death, Confinement, Child abuse, Medical trauma, and Xenophobia

ribbonroad's review

hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• 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: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Excrement, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Excrement, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm