Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel

47 reviews

1goodkaren's review

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence

alibrareads's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

Aaaah that was insanely messed up and intense and had me screeching internally at certain moments. So many other reviews say this, and I’ll add to that number: it felt like a Black Mirror episode.

It was unputdownable, and the reveal of what the Test is wasn’t exactly what I was expecting going in. My feelings of dread and disgust only grew as I read on. I went in fairly blind, so I will give the same for anyone who reads this review, but this was a fast, horrifying, fascinating novella. It touches on things that really fascinate me about humanity. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence

opplecopter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Meet Idir. An Iranian man sitting for the British Citizenship Test. He’s brought his wife and two children along with him to wait while he answers 25 multiple choice questions that will determine their future. He feels confident in his ability to pass, but the test is unexpectedly interrupted and Idir is immediately plunged into a nightmare where the questions asked of him shift into life and death. 

This is one of those books that left me speechless. I had to sit and think on it for a minute after finishing. At barely over 100 pages this little dystopian novella packs a punch with its mixture of thriller/sci-fi/psychological flavors going on. It gave me strong Black Mirror vibes and although I think the story wrapped up perfectly in those short pages, I’m honestly so sad it wasn’t longer because I wanted more! This was incredible and really makes you reflect on topics like the numerous and sometimes ridiculous requirements involved in immigration, how we determine the value of human lives, what choices we would make in situations when the options presented seem impossible, and how our choices ripple out and impact the lives of others. If you’re looking for something to really get into your head and make you ask “what would I do?” then this is for you. I can’t say much without spoiling the plot, but this is truly worth reading. My first 5 star book of the new year and one of the best I’ve read hands down.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Racism, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Deportation

Minor: Child abuse

toristorytime's review

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Xenophobia, and Gun violence

biobeetle's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Hate crime, Violence, Death, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Colonisation and Classism

Minor: Body shaming

katrinarose's review

challenging dark 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

3.0

An fast, engaging read with an interesting thought experiment but I don’t really get the message/meaning/point. Every time it seemed about to make a social commentary, it seemed to steer away from actually getting to the meat of the idea (i.e. brief mentions of immigration, identity politics, but no depth to it).

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Death, and Gun violence

tey_lynn's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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? No

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Murder, Grief, Violence, Blood, Body shaming, Death of parent, Gun violence, Confinement, Death, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Suicidal thoughts

cosmicpanda's review

dark emotional tense fast-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? No

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Racism, Violence, Grief, Islamophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Blood, Body shaming, Deportation, Fatphobia, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Drug use, Medical content, Sexism, Misogyny, and Rape

cheyrohm's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

Wow wow wow. This had me locked in from start to finish. Short fiction done right. It feels like anything I say about this book will spoil the experience so I will simply say, go read it!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Gun violence

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Child abuse

fr0gsonmushrooms's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense fast-paced

3.75

That was fucking crazy 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Rape and Sexism