Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

63 reviews

aliireads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective relaxing tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Good book! Very sad and hard to read at times. A little frustrating with Yara’s family and upbringing, but the ending is good. The last 1/3 kind of drags on, but the book was good overall. It covers abuse, spousal abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, depression, anxiety, etc. definitely a heavy book, but it also has some very sweet moments. Everyone deserves a friend like Silas. I would recommend it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Mental illness, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

mthereader's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Xenophobia, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Suicidal thoughts

unboxedjack's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

2.5

I really thought I'd enjoy this book more than I did. The premise of a first-generation Palestinian-American woman exploring oppression, intergenerational trauma, and all that comes with that is very much up my alley. Unfortunately, this fell short. Obviously the reader is primed to be sympathetic to the protagonist, Yara, but the character development was incomplete. That was especially clear in how secondary characters were written. They had no depth, with Yara's being pretty minimal at times. Though I did like how Rum painted well-meaning white people as being just as racist with their microaggressive comments, the dialogue and presentation of this (as well as dialogue as a whole) was repetitive, superficial, and unrealistic. There were plenty of opportunities to dive into these themes more deeply rather than creating a fairly obvious and unsatisfying story.  Ultimately, this read like a YA novel rather than something designed for older readers. 2.5 stars.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexism

Minor: War, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Toxic relationship

thespinystacks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Domestic abuse

msvernier's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Mental illness

taliabasma's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

I enjoyed reading Yara’s journey however, it was so frustrating throughout the whole book, which I’m sure was the author’s intention anyway so in that regards, she was successful at making me feel the frustration that Yara felt as she tried to break free from the chains of her trauma. 

Had I not been reading this for a bookclub, I would’ve stopped ages ago - not because the writing was bad, but because I hate reading anything that isn’t a romance lol

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Racism and Islamophobia

readwithsaray's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

decie's review against another edition

challenging reflective

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Grief, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Racism

lettuce_read's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Racism

bitesizedbeet's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Racism, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Mental illness, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity