Reviews tagging 'Cultural appropriation'

The Seep by Chana Porter

12 reviews

anaheeta's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

If I had a penny for every time I read a book that was a metaphor for grief (of a loved one) in the past few months, I’d have two pennies, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death, Grief, Transphobia, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Suicide, Alcohol, and Child abuse

salemander's review against another edition

5.0

finished this entirely on my 2 hour plane ride i could not put it down !!!! in the words of jeff vandermeer’s cover quote “mesmerizing” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Cultural appropriation, and Grief

brittni_in_ink's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

A story about a middle-aged trans woman dealing with an alien invasion and the loss of her wife. But what if that alien invasion made society better, and what if her wife chose to literally start her life over? These are some of the fascinating ideas that form this beautiful novella about humanity and grief, embodiment and autonomy.  I loved that we're told things about the aliens and their impact on a need-to-know basis, and have some time jumps to adjust to with the main character. Just excellent writing and a sense of a personal journey throughout. It moved me beyond words.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Gun violence, Abandonment, Grief, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol

potatogrr's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

Minor: Racism, Gun violence, Murder, and Cultural appropriation

asexualandriod's review

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Drug use, Alcohol, and Addiction

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Racism, and Alcoholism

Minor: Sexual content

The content warnings for drug use and addiction are in reference to the alien lifeforms that are present in the book. They are microscopic, in things like food and water, and their elevated presence exhibits similar symptoms to highs from drugs. The narrative surrounding the aliens is often framed as an addiction.

drlove2018's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A bit disappointed by the ending, but *wow* is this a ride! The first hundred-ish pages of this is the most exciting read I’ve experienced in a while

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation and Grief

Moderate: Drug use, Racism, Alcoholism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Medical content and Violence

cheye13's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Gun violence, Gore, Alcoholism, Cultural appropriation, and Drug abuse

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Racism, Medical content, and Body horror

The Seep is spoken of as a drug/narcotic.

bookbunnie's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-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

4.25

Read this book if you like your existential crises to be balanced out with sentient pamphlet humor, are interested in the unexpected downsides of a utopia, and are stubbornly holding steadfast to pain. 

Don’t read this book if themes of grief are uninteresting to you, or you don’t like talking bears. 

This is a quick read that made me cry and laugh in turns. I love the tempered optimism of an attainable utopia that still promises personal growth, of a benevolent creature that may know what’s technically best for us but might not always get it right. If speculative fiction is your thing, I would highly suggest this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Grief

Moderate: Cultural appropriation

Minor: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content

yavin_iv's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Grief, and Drug use

Moderate: Medical content, Cultural appropriation, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Transphobia

ireadinbed's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-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

4.75

Honestly after the first pages I thought I'd hate this book. I don't usually like books with this kind of style, vibe, whatever you want to call it. 

But for some reason I was really drawn in by Trina. In so many ways she feels alien to me, but also very very relatable. 

I got very invested in all the little elements of this story. Nothing ever really feels explained, like a Miyazaki movie, but in the end it comes together. 

I cried a lot reading this book. 

I think I would have given it a five if I wasn't briefly worried about the eventual end the book came to. It did work out but I kinda thought it was turning into a dystopia at one point. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Body horror

Moderate: Cultural appropriation