Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

43 reviews

mfrank's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape

Moderate: Child death, Violence, Murder, Torture, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Slavery

brookiebridge's review against another edition

dark sad tense

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

One of my favorite books of all time. The pacing is the best I’ve ever seen, I couldn’t put the book down and finished it, sobbing, at 3 in the morning. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Rape, and Death

Moderate: Child death, Gore, Sexual violence, Blood, Body horror, Slavery, Cannibalism, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Torture

The book builds up to the reveal of why the main character survived and what happened to him.

He watched as alien children were killed and eaten, and his friends died trying to stand up for them. He was then forced to also eat the alien children to survive, him and his friend underwent medical disfigurement of their hands and his friend died as a result. He was then sold to a brothel where he was raped repeatedly, and accidentally killed a child who had come to try to help him, thinking the child was a rapist at first. He is repeatedly confined to small spaces and isolated. Half of the story is him being investigated by his superiors, who don’t know he was raped but believe he committed murder and had illicit sex, since he is a priest. He has severe ptsd but the investigation forces him to confront his past.

tauboi's review against another edition

challenging dark funny 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Torture, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Murder, Violence, Trafficking, Sexual content, and Rape

mandkips's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, and Rape

Moderate: Slavery, Cannibalism, and Violence

anblott's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Violence

Moderate: Body horror

madibee's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Gore, Sexual violence, and Violence

Minor: Miscarriage

mari2311's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape

Moderate: Violence

wyrmes's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad slow-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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Child death, Classism, Death, Violence, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Torture, Terminal illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Infertility and Vomit

vespasiana's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Medical content, Death, Grief, Medical trauma, Body horror, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture, Confinement, Cannibalism, Sexual assault, and Rape

Minor: Trafficking and Child death

While all the above things do happen in the book, both on and off screen, the bulk of the plot is about the “before” and “after”. Very little of the extreme or moderate stuff is shown for long, but is referenced very frequently in the “after” sections as something the main character is dealing from the fallout of.

mks74354's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Violence, Child death, and Grief