Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

5 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.

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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

timelapse's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

4.0

A really good historic fiction book that dissects the horrible details of the horrors of the Chinese Exclusion Act in painstaking, life-size detail. The first 60% is just decent, but the last 40% really picks up the pace and truly unifies all of the personal struggles you see the MC face in the book and made the wait worthwhile. A very quick read, it probably only took me two short sittings (just spaced over a very long time). Somehow I feel like the hazy, slightly detached storytelling makes it very suitable for a younger reading demographic? High school maybe.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Body horror, and Rape

lyssmayy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Violence, Death of parent, Blood, Sexual assault, Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Rape, and Murder

thelittle_seokmin's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Death, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Child death, Hate crime, Murder, Rape, Trafficking, Racism, Cursing, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Violence, Xenophobia, and Confinement

Moderate: Sexism, Gore, Misogyny, Body horror, Grief, and Blood

Minor: Alcohol, Addiction, Death of parent, Ableism, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Pregnancy, and Vomit

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

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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