Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

L'Incivilité des fantômes by Rivers Solomon

34 reviews

peannlewis's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

Difficult but engaging read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Abandonment, Abortion, Ableism, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicide attempt, and Torture

Moderate: Dysphoria, Incest, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia

plumpaperbacks's review against another edition

challenging tense slow-paced

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

3.5

I don’t think I’m smart enough for this book. The discussions of physics and biology and all sorts of complex science stuff went over my head, and the fact that that comprises so much of the book means most of the book went over my head.

Jokes aside, Solomon wrote a unique sci-fi that left me with much to think about. The setting was interesting, and their writing easy to read without being too simplistic. The main issue I had was with the pacing, as the beginning and end were good, but the middle lagged significantly. I also think the ending could’ve been explained more, though it was satisfying enough as it is.

I ended up quite liking Aster and Theo. It took me some time to warm up to them, but I did. They’re well-written, contrasting characters with a sweet associates to friends to lovers dynamic between them. This relationship is very much a slow-burn, and very much on the back burner. While I respect that, as the emphasis of this book isn’t meant to be romance, a part of me does wish we’d seen a bit more of them in a romantic way.

As I’m thinking more about the book, I’m realizing that, though it’s well-written, the narration was sometimes confusing. If I wasn’t paying close enough attention, it was easy to miss Aster slipping into a flashback. In those situations, I had to be especially attentive so I knew when she had returned to present time. The book gives little indicators at the start of each chapter narrated by a different character even though it only happens a few times, so it would’ve been easy enough to similarly indicate time jumps.

Ultimately, this was neither great nor awful. I’d recommend it, but likely only to specific people, as I don’t think it would be everyone’s cup of tea. Despite some enjoyable elements, I’m not sure it’s my cup of tea. I may or may not pick up more from Solomon in the future.

Representation

• autistic Black queer nonbinary protagonist
• Black side characters
• queer side characters (includes nonbinary, sapphic, and aromantic asexual rep)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Sexual assault, Death, Murder, Body horror, Medical content, Homophobia, Transphobia, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Self harm, Pregnancy, and Abortion

mariebrunelm's review

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.0

When I picked this book in the library, I thought the blurb was quite strangely written. Now that I've read the novel, I understand that it's really hard to summarize An Unkindness Of Ghosts, because its plot (a young woman surviving in an immense ship traveling through space) is only one aspect of the whole. I thinks its main strength is in the characters' voice, especially Aster, the main character (she's not the only one telling the story). I must admit that it's the first time I read a book by an autistic author with an autistic character, so I'm really not in a position to judge the book. The author is also Black and non-binary, and questions of racism and identity are at the heart of the book. I appreciated the varied representations and the tension building throughout the narrative, but be warned, this is a harrowing book. Solomon draws from centuries of oppression by white people and does not shy away from the darker parts of this dark, shameful history. It's a book that reads like a scream while also celebrating the diversity of Black & queer voices, in a Sci-fi setting turned towards the past. 

Rep: Black autistic character, genderqueer character, aro/ace character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia

ehmannky's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

4.5

A fantastic read. It's not often that you find works of science fiction that truly feel like they get and come from the lineage of Octavia Butler, but that's the only author whose work I can think of that relates to this work. It deals with hierarchies in a similar way, but Solomon's writing shows that the recreation of hierarchies, especially within a society like America, is not going to be solved by simply getting off planet. 

Also this isn't, like, smart or insightful like so many of the other reviews here but

I am so glad Theo wasn't secretly evil. I am so glad I loved his character so much.

TW: A lot of talk of suicide, suicide ideation, suicidal tendencies, etc. I feel like most people who get into the book like me are aware that it's going to incorporate slavery and get into the graphic and horrific slavery based on the real life horrors of America, but I do not know if I was aware of just how much suicide was in this book. As someone with a personal experience with loss from suicide, it wasn't enough to put me off, but it could be for others. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Racism, Slavery, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Rape, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, Grief, Gore, Emotional abuse, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Child abuse, and Blood

Moderate: Homophobia and Drug use

Minor: Pregnancy