Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

4 reviews

hailstorm3812's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-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? Yes

4.25

I liked this better than the first one. I was thrown by the POV swapping but eventually got into it. I think it is an interesting exploration of grief and duty and connection, and Tau fits so well as a foil to Baru. It went a lot of places I didn't expect but to very interesting effect and I'm very excited to see where it goes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Cancer, Medical trauma, Vomit, Violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Murder, Lesbophobia, Death, Body horror, and War

sheiksleopardthong's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

Slower than the first book, The Monster introduces a LOT of characters, and I found myself struggling to keep them all straight until near the end. However it's so so so good. Intense and dark and intricately woven. Dickinson has such a mastery of poetic prose. I love a book I need to put down sometimes because you want to punch and vomit on a character (looking at you Cosgrad).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Colonisation, Body horror, Death, Excrement, Xenophobia, Blood, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, War, Racism, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Abortion, Alcoholism, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Homophobia, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Murder

Minor: Vomit

aileron's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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: Gore, Violence, War, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Cancer

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Child death, Miscarriage, and Xenophobia

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Slavery, and Alcoholism

hedsek's review

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I found the book really hard to follow, maybe even more so than the first part. Baru seems like a completely different person, which makes sense given the things she's done, but in a very weird teenagery way for some reason. I am super confused  by her relation with almost everyone, but maybe it's supposed to be that way? There was some beautiful prose though, and as with the previous book the ending was very climactic and makes me want to read the next book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Addiction, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Lesbophobia, and Death

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Torture, Homophobia, Blood, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Biphobia, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, War, and Violence

Minor: Child death, Drug use, Cursing, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy