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Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
19 reviews
gabgeh's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A confusingly wonderful, overly-poetic epistolary adventure through a time war.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Torture, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Gore, and Genocide
saucy_bookdragon's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
"I dream of you. I keep more of you inside my mind, my physical, my personal, squishy mind, than I keep of any other world or time."
Okay now I get this.
I first read This Is How You Lose the Time War like exactly three years ago in 2020 (certainly one of the years ever) and I initially gave it three stars. I didn't quite get it and I didn't understand the plot. Honestly I still don't entirely understand the plot.
Time War was best recommended by Bigolas Dickolas; go in without knowing anything. Having completely forgotten everything from my first read besides time travel, confusion, and gay this read like an entirely new novel to me! Honestly, stop reading my review and just read the book free of any expectations.
You need to be free from expectations because the book is so unconventional. It's stream of conscious, poetic prose that mixes metaphor and what's literally happening in the story takes center stage. Due to the bizarre nature of the writing and story itself, it's a little tricky to understand. This works for the concept as a time travel novel about entities beyond human comprehension fighting a war across time and the multiverse and two agents that somehow fall in love.
Part of my issue I think last time was that I was expecting to understand the world building, but really it's not meant to be understood. This is a story that requires an extremely high suspension of disbelief to work, and if you find that suspension of disbelief it becomes immersive and psychedelic. It makes it feel truly like something out of this world.
It's also achingly romantic and yearnful. Blue and Red falling for each other through letters delivered in increasingly complex methods as they find a strange love with each other, an understanding deeper than anything they have with anyone on their sides of the war. It's not only queer in the sense that it's sapphic, it's also queer in that Red and Blue in a sense go beyond gender and are a couple completely outside of heteropatriarchal norms. It's not just queer, it's queer.
Incredibly glad I took another chance on this story. Though I was still quite confused, I found myself reveling in it this time around, enjoying the weirdness and beauty of the story and rereading sections to better understand the plot.
Okay now I get this.
I first read This Is How You Lose the Time War like exactly three years ago in 2020 (certainly one of the years ever) and I initially gave it three stars. I didn't quite get it and I didn't understand the plot. Honestly I still don't entirely understand the plot.
Time War was best recommended by Bigolas Dickolas; go in without knowing anything. Having completely forgotten everything from my first read besides time travel, confusion, and gay this read like an entirely new novel to me! Honestly, stop reading my review and just read the book free of any expectations.
You need to be free from expectations because the book is so unconventional. It's stream of conscious, poetic prose that mixes metaphor and what's literally happening in the story takes center stage. Due to the bizarre nature of the writing and story itself, it's a little tricky to understand. This works for the concept as a time travel novel about entities beyond human comprehension fighting a war across time and the multiverse and two agents that somehow fall in love.
Part of my issue I think last time was that I was expecting to understand the world building, but really it's not meant to be understood. This is a story that requires an extremely high suspension of disbelief to work, and if you find that suspension of disbelief it becomes immersive and psychedelic. It makes it feel truly like something out of this world.
It's also achingly romantic and yearnful. Blue and Red falling for each other through letters delivered in increasingly complex methods as they find a strange love with each other, an understanding deeper than anything they have with anyone on their sides of the war. It's not only queer in the sense that it's sapphic, it's also queer in that Red and Blue in a sense go beyond gender and are a couple completely outside of heteropatriarchal norms. It's not just queer, it's queer.
Incredibly glad I took another chance on this story. Though I was still quite confused, I found myself reveling in it this time around, enjoying the weirdness and beauty of the story and rereading sections to better understand the plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Violence, Animal cruelty, and Blood
bakatan's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Animal cruelty, and Murder
Minor: Gore, Torture, War, and Confinement
eve_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ To say that this book had an emotional impact on me would be an understatement. I wish I had the words to define the place it occupies in my heart, but any attempt would not do it justice. Simply put: this is a book to read if you want to FEEL.
⁕ The world-building is ambiguous (especially for a sci-fi that involves time travel elements) but it serves the overall story well. The focus is meant to be on the relationship and conflict between the main characters; not the nuances of their environment. All the (relevant) murky details make enough sense in the end, I promise.
⁕ This book is structured mostly in the fashion of letters written back and forth between the main characters, but it reads like poetry. It is full of witty references and metaphors. Somehow, in all these combinations of words and literary devices, they write a story that has you going "oh, this is exactly what love is."
⁕ The! Ending! Is! Everything! As the reader, you are drip fed pieces of the plot slowly. It unravels and circles back on itself in such a fashion that will keep you hungry until conclusion, where you will smack your forehead in amazement and awe.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
⁕ To say that this book had an emotional impact on me would be an understatement. I wish I had the words to define the place it occupies in my heart, but any attempt would not do it justice. Simply put: this is a book to read if you want to FEEL.
⁕ The world-building is ambiguous (especially for a sci-fi that involves time travel elements) but it serves the overall story well. The focus is meant to be on the relationship and conflict between the main characters; not the nuances of their environment. All the (relevant) murky details make enough sense in the end, I promise.
⁕ This book is structured mostly in the fashion of letters written back and forth between the main characters, but it reads like poetry. It is full of witty references and metaphors. Somehow, in all these combinations of words and literary devices, they write a story that has you going "oh, this is exactly what love is."
⁕ The! Ending! Is! Everything! As the reader, you are drip fed pieces of the plot slowly. It unravels and circles back on itself in such a fashion that will keep you hungry until conclusion, where you will smack your forehead in amazement and awe.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Animal cruelty, Gore, Death, and War
dearbhlanoonan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
lindseyhall44's review
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Vomit, War, Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood
li_reading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"I like you to know, with my words in your mouth, the places and ways in which I think of you."
If you ever need a reason to believe in love again, read this book.
Alternatively, if you ever want to spend hours staring at the ceiling lamenting the fact you are not a lethal otherworldly being exchanginglove letters threats with your equally lethal, equally otherworldly opponent... Read this book.
It is in and of itself a love letter to language. There is not a line within its pages I do not adore.
And, my proof:
I tab with navy if, and only if, a line makes me stop dead, makes me think "holy shit.", demands that I read it 10 times over before I can move on. I use them sparingly. I used 18. In a book with not so much as 200 pages.
Read this book and mourn the fact you will never again read a love letter this beautiful.
If you ever need a reason to believe in love again, read this book.
Alternatively, if you ever want to spend hours staring at the ceiling lamenting the fact you are not a lethal otherworldly being exchanging
It is in and of itself a love letter to language. There is not a line within its pages I do not adore.
And, my proof:
I tab with navy if, and only if, a line makes me stop dead, makes me think "holy shit.", demands that I read it 10 times over before I can move on. I use them sparingly. I used 18. In a book with not so much as 200 pages.
Read this book and mourn the fact you will never again read a love letter this beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, War, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abandonment, Body horror, Medical content, Torture, and Vomit
kylieqrada's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
3.0
I was recommended this one from a Books for Tauruses reading list that Kayla from BooksandLala put together. This book was a true 3 star for me. I vacillated back and forth between being absolutely enthralled and wanting to DNF. Ultimately, I loved the concept and the love story between Blue and Red. Plus, THAT ENDING THOUGH. But a 3 was unfortunately indicative of my reading experience as a whole.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Murder, and Violence
e_lace's review
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Hi. If you would like to propose to me all you need to do is hand me this book. I will probably say yes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
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