Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

5 reviews

beldaran1224's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

I finished this sequel with feelings very similar to the first book: I want to read more...but I don't. There is something very compelling about the world and the characters (especially the explorations of the means vs the ends. Despite this, I find myself very conflicted about the book - the narrative is so befuddled and deliberately obfuscated by the author that I find myself getting frustrated by it multiple times throughout the book. I understand why the author is obfuscating: in the first book, we're meant to be kept guessing about Baru's loyalties and in the second, we're meant to be kept guessing about whether she is merely dancing to Itinerant's plan or actually acting on her own...but it gets old.

That said, there's a lot to like here. The flashbacks and other perspectives, especially the ones for Tau-Indi, are exceptionally well done. I enjoy the way Dickinson uses Baru's injury as a method of narrative obfuscation, though I wish they had been less aggressive in doing so. The world gets broader and deeper in this book, too. I enjoy the way the text plays with

Baru's relationships with those around her, including Iraji, Tau-Indi, the diver and more.

I also enjoy the increasingly important question of whether Baru is compromised beyond hope and the exploration of

the opposing theories of empire put forth by Itinerant and Hesychast

.

Besides the obfuscation I mentioned above, there are a couple other gripes I have with the text. The first is that the plotting is a bit lackluster. The first novel was redeemed by an insanely compelling and heartbreaking ending, and this book's ending

just didn't leave me with the same impact or curious about the specific reveal that occurred

so much as leaving me hopeful that the final book will have a more propelling plot. I'm also not enjoying the character of

Tain Shir

.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Homophobia, Colonisation, Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Medical trauma, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Genocide, Ableism, Stalking, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Transphobia, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual content, Gore, Gaslighting, and Cancer

Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, and Forced institutionalization

pineapplesurvivor's review

adventurous challenging dark sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Cancer, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Transphobia, Torture, Terminal illness, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Death, Colonisation, Body horror, Blood, and Alcohol

the_descolada's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

Dark and a little meandering at times, this nonetheless is a key part of Baru's journey through showing her at her lowest point and does an excellent job of setting the stage for Tyrant.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Xenophobia

Moderate: Transphobia and Sexual violence

Minor: Torture

Not as to the heart dark as hell as the last book, but very depressing throughout

cynthreads's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual content

Minor: Transphobia

rigormorphis's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer and Homophobia

Minor: Transphobia

Traumatic brain injury