Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

46 reviews

bash5617's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, Child abuse, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Torture, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Death, Hate crime, Violence, Racism, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence

tahsintries's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Grief, Homophobia, Bullying, Medical content, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Ableism, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Torture, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse

alexmoriarty's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Torture, Racism, Slavery, Abortion, Blood, Chronic illness, Murder, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual content, Rape, Homophobia, Suicide, Death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Violence

This book is brilliant and beautiful and difficult to read but healing. Takes the science fiction idea of a generation ship and generational trauma and melds them together.

nytephoenyx's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.25

My favorite thing about Rivers Solomon’s An Unkindness of Ghosts is its easy inclusivity. Never does this book feel like its trying for token characters or to write a specifically “race” or “LGBTQIAP+” book. The individuals aboard the Matilda are who they are and I think that’s beautiful and it deserves top billing in this review.

While I cannot speak to the overall accuracy of this representation based on personal experiences, it flowed very well and read as quite genuine and normal in every way, which I loved. We have Theo, who is mixed and struggles with religion vs. desire. Giselle is Black. She faces her trauma every day. And Aster? Aster is also Black, neurodivergent, and certainly LGTBQIAP+ though I couldn’t pin down nonbinary vs. gender fluid vs. asexual… but you know what? It doesn’t matter. Aster was a little of all of these and so beautifully defied labels (though Aster does use the she/her pronouns, which Solomon shares early in the book). Even minor characters like Flick are given all their dignity and we know their pronouns are they/them.

An Unkindness of Ghosts tells the story of four different people, to my reckoning. Aster is our front-and-center protagonist, but we also learn Theo’s and Giselle’s stories, and Aster’s mother Lune Grey. All these characters are BIPOC and they are all oppressed in this worldship that so closely parallels the antebellum South. Each one struggles to navigate a system that is so strongly set against them. They fight on different levels and through different professions and pursuits. This book is painful to read – the violence, the torture, the sexual abuse. Solomon doesn’t shy away from sharing the worst of Matilda in full detail, and nor should they. Although An Unkindness of Ghosts is a dystopian science fiction… is it? The largest divergence between this book and our own history is the location: a ship, in space.

The writing is stunning, but reader, please proceed with caution. While I think it’s an important book and everyone should be aware of it, read it, and feel the pain of our history of slavery laid out so bluntly before us… it’s not going to be a safe read for everyone. Please please review the content warnings on my blog and on The StoryGraph before starting this book to steel yourself for the content to follow.

An Unkindness of Ghosts was immersive from the first moments, and aside from the astounding plot and character building, the world itself burst alive from the page. There is so much hurt in this novel, but the moments of beauty are there too, although much fewer. The dance of all the elements woven together seamlessly make An Unkindness of Ghosts a particularly impressive novel. My one disappointment was the non-excitement of the very ending. The book was running full speediest moments before, and the end fell a little flat for me.

I dearly recommend this book to anyone. It has some heavy adult moments so may be more of a longterm TBR item for younger teen readers. As an adult, this story made me ache and I will certainly be reading Solomon’s next book, Sorrowland.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Homophobia

Moderate: Ableism, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Pedophilia, and Religious bigotry

evilwizard's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

This story is very, very dark, but also incredibly well-written and compelling. It provides a fresh take on both the dystopian genre and the sci-fi genre as a whole, mixing in historical elements (and symbolically representing, in my opinion, the frightening way that the past can become the future in regards to oppression). The characters narrating the story are all very complex and have interesting stories to tell. I can't really say I "enjoyed" it, but it was an excellent book and I absolutely would recommend it to anyone who can stomach the content.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, Abortion, Bullying, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Transphobia

Minor: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Excrement, and Homophobia

blockieran's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

About 40 pages in I was close to quitting because it's very triggering. Fortunately I didn't. The story captured me and wouldn't let me go resulting in two nights spent reading instead of sleeping.

The representation is everything I want in one book. Labels aren't explicitly stated (mostly because they don't exist in this world) but there is a black queer intersex character who seems to be autistic and a trans character with OCD and they own my heart. I want to keep reading forever because it hurts to leave them behind.

Be warned: I thought this was mainly an adventure story with discrimination as a background setting. It's very much in your face though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, and Vomit

Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, and Drug use

peannlewis's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Difficult but engaging read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Abandonment, Abortion, Ableism, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicide attempt, and Torture

Moderate: Dysphoria, Incest, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia

darkmattersoybean's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Biphobia, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Vomit, and Violence

teo_rodas's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, and Vomit

plumpaperbacks's review against another edition

challenging tense slow-paced

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

3.5

I don’t think I’m smart enough for this book. The discussions of physics and biology and all sorts of complex science stuff went over my head, and the fact that that comprises so much of the book means most of the book went over my head.

Jokes aside, Solomon wrote a unique sci-fi that left me with much to think about. The setting was interesting, and their writing easy to read without being too simplistic. The main issue I had was with the pacing, as the beginning and end were good, but the middle lagged significantly. I also think the ending could’ve been explained more, though it was satisfying enough as it is.

I ended up quite liking Aster and Theo. It took me some time to warm up to them, but I did. They’re well-written, contrasting characters with a sweet associates to friends to lovers dynamic between them. This relationship is very much a slow-burn, and very much on the back burner. While I respect that, as the emphasis of this book isn’t meant to be romance, a part of me does wish we’d seen a bit more of them in a romantic way.

As I’m thinking more about the book, I’m realizing that, though it’s well-written, the narration was sometimes confusing. If I wasn’t paying close enough attention, it was easy to miss Aster slipping into a flashback. In those situations, I had to be especially attentive so I knew when she had returned to present time. The book gives little indicators at the start of each chapter narrated by a different character even though it only happens a few times, so it would’ve been easy enough to similarly indicate time jumps.

Ultimately, this was neither great nor awful. I’d recommend it, but likely only to specific people, as I don’t think it would be everyone’s cup of tea. Despite some enjoyable elements, I’m not sure it’s my cup of tea. I may or may not pick up more from Solomon in the future.

Representation

• autistic Black queer nonbinary protagonist
• Black side characters
• queer side characters (includes nonbinary, sapphic, and aromantic asexual rep)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Sexual assault, Death, Murder, Body horror, Medical content, Homophobia, Transphobia, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Self harm, Pregnancy, and Abortion