Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James

6 reviews

micksland's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

3.5 stars

Ultimately this is a sequel that suffers from “second novel in a trilogy” syndrome.

This was sold to me as “book one, but from a different point of view”. That is an inaccurate statement; it’s better to say that this is a prequel that eventually catches up to “Black Leopard, Red Wolf”. This book is 626 pages long, and the protagonist from book one doesn’t show up until page 500! I kept wanting the first few parts of the book to be over, because they were slow-paced character-driven escapades and I knew that there would be action happening eventually. 500 pages is really too long to wait for the exciting parts of a story.

Another frustrating detail is that Sogolon is a difficult and unlikeable character. Even though this is purposeful, I personally liked Tracker better.

That being said, the ending was phenomenal. The different takes on “what actually happened” are fascinating and I can’t wait to see if we get a “true” answer in the finale. I blew through the entire final 100 pages in a single sitting, which shows the author’s prowess when things really start moving. If the author had chosen to cut part one entirely in order to make the book faster, I would have enjoyed it much more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Murder, Child death, and Rape

Moderate: Homophobia and Misogyny

becksusername's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.75

I wish I had read Black Leopard Red Wolf more recently, or had a copy with me to compare the parts of the story that overlap, so I could note all the subtle differences between Sogolon's account and Tracker's. This book was such a satisfying follow-up after BLRW, which I remember being an incredible story unlike any I'd ever read, but also wildly misogynist (the narrator and characters, not the author obviously). Like Sogolon said of Tracker's story "maybe some of it even have one or two women he neither call witch nor bitch." Sogolon is a (deeply flawed) feminist icon. I want more stories in this world! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Homophobia, Violence, Vomit, War, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Grief, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, Death of parent, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual content, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Stalking, Suicide, Body horror, and Sexual violence

jialianyang's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.75

Loved this sequel even more than its immersive predecessor. The emotional world and life experiences of the main character show that one does not need to know their name to be assured of their inner voice, their drive to keep living and fighting, their value despite others' assessment of their class or worth. To say that this book features a strong female lead would be accurate but inadequate-- a no name girl / woman adopts a name, life purposes, family, rage, powers, revenge, mission, legend, appearance and more. We learn that a nobody can have the power to alter the course of a whole world and the power that a stubborn mind that refuses to bend can hold, as well as the importance of etching his/herstory into memory, walls, song and so many locations that it can never be lost. I end this book with more questions than answers about the massive plot that I tumble into, but I get a full to bursting sense of the intricate inner life of a person who has refused to let destiny be defined for her, who has experienced the lowest lows and highest highs that life has to offer, who has felt loneliness, despair, ambivalence, passion, sensuality, anger, and vengeance in equal measure, all the whole persevering without falling into empty hope and easy optimism. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Sexism, and War

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Slavery, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Stalking

annemaries_shelves's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.25

4.25 stars

I enjoyed this a LOT more than Tracker's perspective - Sologon the Moon Witch was a compelling character who was consistent in her characterization - stubborn, quick to anger, violent, intense in all emotions, and unwilling to take anyone's shit (or advice, to her own detriment).

I was impressed with how James wrote her - she was a lot more realistic than many male fantasy writer's female characters. She actually talks about her period (moonblood), expresses frustration with how stupid men are and how unfair and unjust the world is to women, and has her own interests outside of a husband and children (both of which she does have). She's not perfect - frustrating, sometimes veers towards homophobic in her comments/thoughts about Tracker, violent, rude, but always compelling. 

The world is just as violent, misogynistic, and brutal - rape, witch hunts, and murder are still common, everyday occurrences. We follow Sogolon through at least 170+ years of her life, with a more sequential story than BLRW. Characters from the first book really only show up 500 pages in, and as expected, there are discrepancies between Tracker's versions of events and Sogolon's. Particularly around the Aesi - who is only slightly less mysterious in this novel and altogether more terrifying as you learn more his backstory (mostly through interactions with our protagonist).

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and it flew by in comparison to BLRW. Sogolon had so many great moments of insight and power, and her impact on the woman of this fantasy world is undeniable. There's still a lot left to uncover across the main plot, which I hope will be revealed in the final book, whenever that's published. 

CW: rape, torture, sexism and misogyny, slavery/enslavement, domestic and child abuse, blood and gore, witch hunts, bestiality (consensual this time, for what that's worth...), child death, grief, pregnancy and birth, pedophilia, and I'm sure others that I can't remember after 650 pages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Slavery, Blood, Gore, Grief, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Violence, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Child death, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Pedophilia, Homophobia, and Torture

tonybz's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and War

Moderate: Sexual content, Gore, and Kidnapping

ronpayne's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexism, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Body horror, Violence, Gore, Physical abuse, Cursing, Classism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Vomit