Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim

49 reviews

alywaly's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, War, and Violence

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

 disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

This historical fiction begins in 1917 and spans the years and aftermath of the Japanese occupation of Korea. We follow multiple characters (most notably Jung-Ho and Jade) as they navigate new realities and surviving amidst poverty and low class stature. 

I was thoroughly impressed that this was the author's debut work (not to say that authors have not been writing and perfecting their craft for a while before being published) - the writing was lush, vividly descriptive, and every sentence flowed beautifully. I really am in awe of her writing!

I read this with my coworkers for a book club, and felt it was a great read to ruminate on sexism, misogyny (wrt looking down on "working women," not just sex workers, but how that translates to today), colonialism, class, wealth, and more. I will absolutely be reading more from this author. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Rape, Addiction, Colonisation, and Violence

sarahb919's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book stabs you in the chest repeatedly. It’s very good and I recommend it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual assault, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Misogyny, Addiction, Domestic abuse, War, Sexual violence, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Ableism, Terminal illness, Violence, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Colonisation, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts

aliciawithoutkeys's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Rape

materiality's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, War, and Racism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Toxic relationship

tumbly_weed's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, War, and Colonisation

Moderate: Pregnancy, Police brutality, Violence, Sexual violence, and Rape

Minor: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Addiction

pbsamitch's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Abortion, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Death, Animal death, Infidelity, Sexism, Violence, and War

andreeadicu's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Pregnancy, War, Trafficking, Xenophobia, and Colonisation

juliloops's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

One of the most poignant novels about Asian history I have read. The characters are precisely, delicately, and humanly crafted, and they touched me with the sincerity of the ancestors I never knew. Truly a brilliant literary debut by Juhea Kim, I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Addition: the first-person perspective shift in the epilogue hit me like a sledgehammer. Absolutely, devastatingly effective and so well-earned. It felt like an achievement, as if all of these terrifying moments in the expanse of history were ultimately rushing towards Jade, her life, and the sea. This is what epilogues are meant for.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Violence, Classism, and War

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Addiction

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Self harm, and Animal cruelty

trailmixraisins's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

This book is a lot to digest - it'll take me a few more reads to fully understand. Regardless, it's a beautifully written story that follows a young girl and her found family, first love, and best friend as they all grow up and survive under colonial Japanese rule. The romantic subplots were a little hard to follow, mostly because humans are so complicated and emotions are so subjective.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Grief, Misogyny, and Blood

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Violence, Classism, Drug use, Rape, Xenophobia, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Physical abuse

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, and Genocide