Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

2 reviews

anaiira's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

What a tragic but beautifully written story. It's so obviously well researched and thought through. In a long string of tragedies, Daiyu stands as a beacon of resilience, as someone who deserves much better than she got, as someone who struggled to learn, to grow, to transform, not just because of the unceasing tide of adversity against her but to overcome as best she can, to make her life one that is meaningful and whole for her.

I thought the book was full of gorgeous lines and descriptions, from beginning to end. Even the way that the author describes the ocean, "the cotton roar of the beach... the sea breeze one exhale around us" or the way she describes the relationship of Daiyu's parents "the tides gently pushing them towards each other... an imperative from the water". I appreciate that the author includes trafitional stories, after all, in 4000 years of history, there are stories aplenty to include, but she also chose to retell a small personal one, about a grasshopper that the main character inadvertently tore apart, about how it was a lesson to be more gentle with the world, to do better, that not all the beauty of the world needs to be plucked and held in the hand, sometimes it is good to let it go.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Gun violence, Colonisation, Trafficking, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Violence, and Sexism

cait's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, War, and Xenophobia