Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

5 reviews

hoax_meal's review

emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book is devastating but hopeful. If you're looking for a light read, this isn't it. It deals with extreme existentialism. But that's sci fi for you. That aside it's a very well written romance. Probably my favourite book I've read so far this year. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Confinement, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

Minor: Gaslighting, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical content, Classism, Excrement, and Homophobia

char42's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Firstly: This is not a Young Adult book! It could be maybe be called “New Adult” but I’d recommend for all ages 16+.

‘The Darkness Outside Us’ is a deeply moving and challenging book, a well-executed and original take on several key sci-fi tropes including <evil AI spaceship> and <clones / regeneration>. Schrefer build the tenfold beautifully and excruciatingly. The romance is believable and tender, without getting in the way of individual character development. I have some small nitpicks in terms of the continuity of character development (due to the central plot twist of the book) but given the unique plot, Schrefer managed to keep the character development mostly coherent and believable (which is a real feat considering the central premise). A beautiful and challenging sci-fi book, which feels miscategorised as Young Adult. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Cancer, Vomit, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide

Minor: Genocide and Child death

laesterlurch's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Suicide, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Body horror, Murder, Terminal illness, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Gaslighting, Genocide, War, and Medical content

aardwyrm's review

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

For a book where most of what actually happens is relentlessly grim, a strangely gentle read. The whole thing is very tropey and none of the twists will likely actually surprise you, but the journey matters more than the destination. I have to say the emotional build-up early on feels a bit rushed, but then, our main characters are seventeen year old boys, so. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Suicide, Abandonment, Death, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Violence, Cancer, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Child death, Gaslighting, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death of parent, Xenophobia, Homophobia, War, Sexual content, and Genocide

greatestheights's review

adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad 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? No

4.0

4.5 stars for breathtakingly good plotting and suspense. Goddamn, this was not what I expected.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment

Moderate: Medical content and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: War and Genocide