Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

75 reviews

plantybooklover's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

 This book is a challenge. It is beautifully written, complex. It's a total mash up- Sci Fi, Fantasy, Horror.   
Overview:  Vern escapes a cult known as Cain -Land as a pregnant teen. She births twins in the woods and chooses an extrordinarily difficult path to raise them while avoiding those from the compound who pursue her. Vern develops supernatural powers and features and must work to understand and control them. 
  This book- though under 400 pages packs a punch to the gut.  I was struck by the massive amount of references to both great black literature, and intense black American traumatic events.  While I caught a lot of them, I'm sure I missed more.  
   I would have enjoyed reading this slower, with a group, but... I finished it up for the Trans Right Readathon. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Racism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Blood, Sexual violence, and Gore

Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Medical content, and Infertility

mayarobinson831's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Body horror

Moderate: Homophobia, Ableism, Confinement, Racism, Addiction, Lesbophobia, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, and Religious bigotry

calamitydane's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring 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

This book was fascinating start to finish. The themes, the voice, the settings, the characters were all engrossing and captivating. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Child abuse, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Racism, Violence, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Child death, Murder, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Emotional abuse

transgender

,

intersex

,

lesbian

whimsylee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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

4.75

An incredible and nuanced look at institutional racism, white supremacy, difference/othering,  and being a queer black mother in the USA. Rivers Solomon is an amazing writer. The sci-fi elements of this story perfectly complement the themes and the author’s overall message. I fell in love with so many of these deeply human characters and my heart was ripped out over and over again. I highly recommend this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Violence, Cannibalism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Gore, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Grief, Self harm, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Slavery, Stalking, Medical trauma, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Physical abuse, Racism, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Colonisation, and Terminal illness

irenetrexqueen's review against another edition

Just too heavy for me right now. May try to return done the road. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Blood, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, and Misogyny

buhdumbitch'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
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

cerilouisereads's review against another edition

challenging dark tense 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Racism, Colonisation, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Blood, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

errie's review

dark

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Confinement, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Violence, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Mass/school shootings

ehmannky's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

A beautiful book that meditates on the concepts of intergenerational trauma, systemic violence, the horrors of repeating abusive cycles and the pain of breaking away from them, and the healing power of queerness when it is allowed to thrive. Vern is spectacularly brutal and loving character, bringing to mind characters found in Octavia Butler's Parable duology. I loved the use of the supernatural to ponder violence, especially as it pertains to the United States and the government and how there's not really a place within the confines of this land that is free from this violence so long as you're in contact with other humans.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death, Death of parent, Sexism, Racism, Murder, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, Grief, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Blood, Pedophilia, Homophobia, Gun violence, Violence, Child death, and Self harm

Moderate: Physical abuse, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Homophobia

twistmalchik's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Self harm, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Adult/minor relationship, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Confinement, Chronic illness, Rape, Body horror, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail