Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott

32 reviews

cameronreads's review against another edition

5.0

This book somehow surpassed every expectation I had of it. It was simply wonderful; from the characters to the storytelling to the powerful and important messages it contained. I’d recommend this to anyone and everyone. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Antisemitism, Death, Self harm, Gore, Grief, Child death, Genocide, Religious bigotry, and Violence

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Suicide and War

dexkit10's review against another edition

adventurous tense slow-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Genocide

Moderate: Animal death and Blood

asainspace's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

A clever, complicated fantasy about memory and trauma - I recommend for people who like Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Antisemitism, Animal death, and Xenophobia

bellesunbridled's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Animal death, Antisemitism, Child death, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death, Child death, Genocide, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Antisemitism, and Self harm

Minor: War, Sexual assault, Murder, and Violence

hobbithopeful's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

A dark and and gripping retelling of the Baba Yaga tale, one that follows the results and causing of generational trauma but with silver lining of hope and determination.
This was such an incredible read, I was sucked in from the very first page, it has been a hot minute since I have had the pleasure to read such an amazing book. The writing, the prose, the seamless change in narrator from each character, and how the writing style subtly but effectively switches to reflect that was perfectly done. I surprised myself by how much I came to love and enjoy the perspective of Thistle the most, it was like little threads that began to weave together the mystery of the past.
You guys I almost forgot to mention but we get a truly sweet and delightful queer romance between Bellatine and a very lovely lady. This was such a welcome respite, a breath air of happiness in a darker overall story. I don't think I was truly prepared for how dark this story got, my only real complaint is that there were no content warnings.  (You guys it gets really dark a few times, especially when referencing pogroms and other events of that nature)
The concept of fear/bigotry being used to turn people into a weapon is always such an interesting trope that really makes me think about the book long after I finish reading it. I think this stems from the fact that this issue is so extremely prevalent in our culture and society today. There are so many people who have become so twisted and blinded by fear that they will attempt to justify their morally reprehensible actions as logical and sound. (And they believe that they are in fact, morally logical and sound)
Generational trauma is a relatively new concept to many people and the way it was shown in Thistlefoot was both beautifully and tragically depicted. Even if the mind forgets, or never knows, there is something in the body, in the dna, that effect's how a person will act and grow. "Generations pass, and suddenly, we forget. Our descendants are born yearning and they do not know why, for they have forgotten. Their hands are full of fire. Their legs are trembling to flee. The body remembers."

Bellatine and Isaac each represent different aspects of this trauma and how it has shaped their entire personalities. One, afraid to touch and grow to close to someone, and the other afraid to stop running. I didn't even realize until halfway through the book maybe that Isaac wasn't a complete asshat, and in fact was struggling just as Tiny was. 

 
If you are a fan of houses that are alive, a chameleon who can't stop running, and a girl with magic in her  hands then this is perfect for you. (Even if you aren't, you should read this anyway! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!) 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Animal death, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Grief, War, Murder, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Violence

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Sexual assault

18soft_green's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

4/5

This is a good book, unfortunately.

I say it this way because a lot of the time it felt like the author was being pretentious in her flowery style and drama. The POV switches were painful and Isaac is my least favorite type of character and Bellatine is so fucking annoying! And her statue love interest is worse! Baba Yaga herself was very interesting but her great, great, great, great grandkids are the worst! In fact, it's as if Nethercotte took my least favorite types of characters, added some quirks, and dumped them into a story.

But the story is good! The grief is real, the magic is weird, the contradictions are mysterious, the walking house is fantastic! The angst, my friends! It's such good angst! Not the relationship angst, that shit was boring as hell and annoying, but the life angst, the way the characters felt about themselves, that was the true sauce.

It also felt so fucking weird that Nethercotte constantly acknowledged the atrocities of the land. Maybe that's just my privilege talking but it felt so out of place and character for the Yaga siblings. Like, this book isn't addressing those topics so why is it bringing them up. I care very much about those issues but it felt like the story was only bringing them up out of obligation and personal responsibility rather than because it was important to the story. It was awkward for me.

4/5 I would not recommend unless the situation truly called on THIS particular book

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, and Police brutality

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and War

Minor: Animal death, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Child death, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Self harm

shirarweiss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Antisemitism, Body horror, Genocide, War, Animal death, Child death, Death, and Religious bigotry

deetabz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, War, Animal death, Body horror, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Antisemitism, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol and Vomit

zghutcheson01's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring reflective 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

4.5

The ending was a little rushed and cheesy but overall the book was wonderful. It has the winding, broken aspect of a tale told by your grandparents who are remembering new parts as the telling goes on and it's absolutely beautiful.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Antisemitism, Death, and Hate crime

Moderate: Gore, Animal death, Genocide, Racism, Body horror, Xenophobia, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, and Violence

displacedcactus's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

I wanted to love this book. I loved the concept, and the opening pages really pulled me in with Nethercott's almost lyrical writing. But y'all, this book is miserable. Sparks of joy are few and far between, quickly moved past so we can focus more on Isaac and Bellatine's intense self-loathing.

I didn't like Isaac at all as a character. I have no time or patience for smarmy men or people who steal from small businesses and others who can ill afford the loss.

Bellatine was a character I could have liked, but she was so closed off that I felt like she was even closed off to me as the reader, and it was hard to connect to her.

A story about hosting a traveling puppet show in Baba Yaga's chicken-legged hut should feel fun and adventurous, even if a dangerous enemy is chasing you. But no fun was to be had.

There is a final, beautiful, hopeful message at the end, but I had a miserable time getting there. I understand why others enjoyed this book, but I was the wrong reader at admittedly the wrong time in my life for something this heavy.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, Violence, and Self harm

Minor: Cannibalism and Vomit

There's a brief off-handed mention of necrophilia, somehow SG doesn't have a CW tag for that one. There are specific scenes of a pogrom and they're pretty disturbing.