Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

7 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

frogggirl2's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

"Yes, the world has laws, which are consequences for your actions. But remember that there is nothing you cannot choose to do.  Only consequences you fear to face" (p. 248).

The things I liked from the original book (the main character, the scheming and the intrigue) are all still present, but less so, and any strategy and characterization gets buried under too much effluvia.  The book would be massively better if every one of these sections that is not part of the main plot was excised.  I don't need any other characters' points of view - the plot just follows Baru going from place to place, and yet it's sufficiently boring and convoluted as it is.  This doesn't develop the same depths of relationship or examine a cast of side characters in the same complex way as the first book, either.  Everyone here, including Baru, seems completely incompetent (what happened to the highly qualified, goal oriented, self contained heroine Baru from the first book?) - it's hard to believe they can even stay alive, let alone run this incredibly potent empire.

This book is a messy slog and a complete disappointment after the excellent first book in the series.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Torture, Alcohol, Colonisation, Self harm, Violence, Cancer, Gore, Miscarriage, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Death, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, and Suicide

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

vonhresvelg's review

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

The constant jumping between different points of view (and time periods) rather than focusing solely on Baru leads to the pacing feeling noticeably slower. That said, they provide welcome context and information, it can just be frustrating to finish a chapter on a cliffhanger, only to see you must read through a different character’s situation first.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Cancer, Homophobia, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Lesbophobia, Death, and Grief

lipstickitotheman's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

The writing got experimental in this one, compared to Traitor. I don't like it as much. Still very good, but this one didn't capture me as Traitor did. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Cancer, Colonisation, Confinement, Torture, Toxic friendship, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, War, Xenophobia, and Violence

Minor: Child death, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Police brutality, Sexual content, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical content, Gun violence, Medical trauma, and Miscarriage

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

giuliaprim's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional sad tense

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

4.0

I have seen people complain about this book, saying it was completely different / detached from the Traitor. As someone who read Monster right after Traitor I didn't perceive this change. I mean, the setting is obviously different, as are the characters and especially Baru's mission. 
Baru as a character had a downfall, but not in the sense that she is completely different from the first book as some say. She is mourning and grieving for most of the book, as I understood it was not very liked by many. Honestly, that's what I expect from a character after losing someone. In fact, although her behavior is unhealthy most of the time, as Shao Lune pointed out, and as it should be, I think Baru has held back a lot. She didn't let her feelings get in the way, even if she got a little more reckless. What I mean is that it is impossible to have a perfect Baru after the events of the first book, it seems that some people cannot understand it. 

Every time Tain Hu is mentioned i felt like I was the one who was mourning lol. 

Ulyu Xe is just... Baru should marry her. 

Aminata, girl... Every time she was on page i was so excited, I love her. I can't wait for them to reunite. 

I don't know how to feel about Shao Lune. But i guess that's the point. 

Tain Shir is a BEAST and i love her for that. I've read good things about her, so i guess I'll probably be a simp when I'll read Tyrant. 


Hers, my home. *cries*


Anyway, I like the book, it's a solid 4 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Violence, Murder, Xenophobia, and Homophobia

Moderate: Cancer and Alcohol

Minor: Vomit and War