Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel

15 reviews

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.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Deportation

Minor: Child abuse

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

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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

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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

t_higgsreviews's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

5.0

5 Stars
CAWPILE = 9.11

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Islamophobia, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Death, Racism, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Deportation

annniina98's review

3.5

Didn't like the decision to show that it was a simulation in such an early point, maybe at all before the end. Kind of took alot of feeling out of it, when you knew nothing was true or real.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death, Murder, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Blood

kather_doc's review

adventurous fast-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Mass/school shootings, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gun violence, and Violence

blackcatkai's review

challenging tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I need to get my thoughts in order before I can properly review this one. RTC

UPDATE! i never did quite get my thoughts in order then i forgot to come back. overall, this one started strong but i didnt quite care for the middle or ending of this one. it wasnt bad, just bits here and there that threw me out of the story.

CW:  Gun violence, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Child abuse, Fatphobia/body shaming, grief, murder, casual ableism

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Child abuse, Death, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Grief, Fatphobia, and Body shaming

Minor: Ableism

marareading's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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

4.0

This is a quick and intense read. It will definitely stay with me for a long time. It is very thought provoking. What happens when we push too far? What happens when the parameters aren't set properly? How do we recover when things go wrong?

This book is about a man who goes in to take his citizenship test and he gets more than he planned for. I could never have imagined the twists in this book. So much packed into a short book. I loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Islamophobia, Violence, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

kstericker's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Mass/school shootings, Violence, Fatphobia, and Grief

Minor: Hate crime, Islamophobia, and Racism

runwithkander's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

Best book I read in 2021. Audio book is amazing for this, and honestly listened twice back to back because I’m not sure what I would have done. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Gaslighting, Child death, Hate crime, Grief, Murder, and Racism