Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

87 reviews

dizzette's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Homophobia, Xenophobia, and War

livelaughlesbian99's review against another edition

adventurous 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

READ THIS BOOK. You will not read another like it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: War, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Rape

millibear's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

A military cult deprogramming story wrapped within a science fiction wrapper, in a good way. 

For a while after reading, I was hung up on how to feel about how several important story beats were resolved because of the

deus ex machina presented by the Wisdom. I think I've come to terms with the fact that it's less important for this story how the day is saved and more important that Tesh had a device that allowed Kyr to go through the deprogramming journey she did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Xenophobia

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Rape and Pregnancy

kryg's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Homophobia and Sexism

podanotherjessi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

4.25

This book has the singular honor of having one of the most unlikable protagonists I have ever read. And I won't say I like her by the end, but I'm definitely rooting for her hard. The world building is really well done, and it makes the allegory necessarily obvious. There are strong themes, but enough room to leave you to decide what is right for yourself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia and Genocide

haleywofford's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, and Death

Moderate: Murder, Xenophobia, Violence, War, and Torture

Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Rape, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

rmgmorrow's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Physical abuse, Sexism, Gaslighting, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Xenophobia

Forced pregnancy

nettleviolet's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

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

5.0

Some Desperate Glory is what I think sci-fi is supposed to be -- an exploration of complex human issues like war, genocide, choice, family and radicalization through the lens of a world that doesn't have our rules. 

This book is fast paced and intense with lots of action and lots to think about. It doesn't pull punches. It looks at the horrors and effects of genocide and war and the ways that individuals, as much as systems, as responsible. There were times when I had to put the book down just to integrate the immensity of what just happened and that, to me, is a sign of a good book -- how it gets into your bones. 

The characters are unlikeable but very sympathetic and the main character's growth and development was very well done. 

The sci fi aspects of shadow space, the aliens, the Wisdom and multiple realities were all very well done and, though the shadow space was not based on actual science, it was well enough explained that this imaginary spacial force was believable. 

Overall, this is the best scifi I've read in a LONG time and is what attracted me to scifi in the first place, and what keeps bringing me back over and over again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Genocide, War, Suicide, Xenophobia, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, and Sexual violence

emfass's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.75

This book made me remember why I love science fiction so much.
The story somehow pulls off being a space opera while also keeping things very small and intimate. Can't say much without giving away the plot, but MAN this just had so many things I like about sci fi.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Death, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, War, Gun violence, Genocide, Sexism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Homophobia

paukinra's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, War, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Outing, Gun violence, Genocide, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Sexual violence, Incest, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Death

Moderate: Xenophobia and Pregnancy