Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

O mare de lacrimi by Ruta Sepetys

14 reviews

madeline_schmidt20's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Rape, Death, Violence, Antisemitism, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, and Grief

Moderate: Child death

sarahlove6's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative sad 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? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: War, Murder, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Blood, Rape, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Animal death, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death, Vomit, and Genocide

pucksandpaperbacks's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Grief, Gore, Blood, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Ableism, War, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Rape, Medical content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Antisemitism

Death during child birth

kat_rowlen's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

Haunting and heartbreaking 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Animal death, Grief, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and War

Moderate: Rape, Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, Deportation, and Medical trauma

amberinbookland's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Racism, Violence, Grief, Deportation, Death of parent, Death, Ableism, Medical content, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, War, Physical abuse, Child death, Pregnancy, Murder, Child abuse, Body horror, Antisemitism, Animal cruelty, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

sukidookie's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad 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 was wonderful and heartbreaking. I loved each and every character. I feel like I gained a deeper and more personal understanding of WW2, but through the lens of the younger generation. As I went along, I was constantly reminded of the fact that these characters could have easily been real people. I loved how the romance between Joana and Florence was natural, acted as a beacon of hope, and simultaneously reminded the reader how young and brave these people were. Everything in this book had a thematic purpose. The writing was perfect and it felt like I was there with them. I had no idea this tragedy existed before reading Salt to the Sea, and after reading the acknowledgements and author's note, it made me wonder how many more traumatic war-related incidents were lost to history.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Rape

kylajaynebooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Racism, Death of parent, Hate crime, Genocide, Gore, Body horror, Child death, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Terminal illness, Vomit, and War

maria1085's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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? Yes

5.0

“We the survivors are not the true witnesses. The true witnesses, those in possession of the unspeakable truth, are the drowned, the dead, the disappeared.” 

It always amazes me when I read historical fiction I learn something new. Salt to the Sea is based on the real sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff in the Baltic Sea on January 30, 1945. This was the single greatest maritime disaster in history yet not many people know about it. As a history buff I like to think that I’ve learned a lot of history, but it just isn’t the case. The ship was overcrowded carrying 10,500 refugees and military personnel. Included were 5,000 children. When it was struck by three torpedoes from a Russian submarine it began to sink. It was a tragedy that took so many lives. 

This hauntingly beautiful story follows four characters who become connected as they make their way to the port to escape the advancing Red Army. This novel was well researched and so well written. It’s YA, but it didn’t feel that way when I was reading it. This is my first book by Rutya Septys and it won’t be my last. She is such a prolific writer, each story was so heartbreaking but the way she connected the characters at a human level gives the reader hope. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, Vomit, Death, Gore, Blood, Medical trauma, and Rape

kallio08's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Death, Blood, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Rape, Violence, War, Gore, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Animal death, and Death of parent

cammiem8's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

3.75

While it took a while to get into and I really dislike multiple POVs, the third act had me on the edge of my seat and before I knew it, I’d read 150 pages and finished it before bed. I respect the author for experimenting with form, but I much prefer the writing style of Between Shades of Gray. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Rape, Religious bigotry, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Death, Child death, War, Violence, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Grief, and Antisemitism

Minor: Homophobia, Torture, and Vomit

Depicts WW2 and Nazism realistically, so expect all the violence and bigotry that goes along with that.

A main character reveals that her pregnancy is the result of a rape by Soviet soldiers, a woman she lived with allowed the rape to happen.