Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James

9 reviews

wannaone's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

i loved the first book of this series and it broke my heart. i wish i’d read this one closer to when i read the first one, because i might have remembered a lot of names and places and events better, but this was still very very good. i love the way that both these books explore gender. i also just love this world. very excited to see what comes next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Grief

zooix's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

This checks a lot of content warnings but some are more prevalent than others. Overall it is significantly less sexually violent than its predecessor, but has more acute grief experiences.

lex_situ's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

Incredible book. Be prepared for a lot of dark themes (wish this series came with the necessary content warnings). The world of fiction has a deep need for more African mythology, and this book and its counterpart(s) deliver. Having not learned much about African cultures, I had to look up various words (different garments, accessories, creatures and beings...) now and then -- learned a lot!

I read BL, RW first, then this one. I really enjoyed Sogolon's story more, her development, and her impatience with Tracker by the time they finally meet in her narrative. Can't wait for the 3rd book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Pedophilia, and Alcohol

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

jessthanthree's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Police brutality, and War

kattyenn's review against another edition

dark 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Murder

Moderate: Rape

mmefish's review against another edition

Unlike the first book, this one is a bore. Sogolon’s story is stripped of all the magic and wickedness that “Black Leopard Red Wolf” was full of. Additionally, I just don’t care about Sogolon, and reading 626 pages written in her broken English is a torture. Very disappointing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Rape

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

mmcloe's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

Oh lordy this is simply perfect. So so many ideas to talk about with this book, among them:

1. How trauma affects memory and its retelling, on personal and social levels
2. How we construct narratives and discourses. Written vs oral, archival vs personal, misremembered vs fabricated 
3. Is the author the Inquisitor? Is the audience? Is this a metafictional work?
4. The different types of families and the circumstances that produce them 
5. The fluidity of bodily and biological categories, the openness of our flesh as we engage with others 
6. The long shadow of slavery and its stain on the "Western" archive of the African continent (I loved the allusion to Saidiya Hartman with "the archive is a tomb")
7. Women's networks and the ways in which they often spread subversively under the gaze of the patriarchy 

And so so so much more. I sincerely hope this series reaches accolades and a legacy far beyond any literary category because it's simply unparalleled. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence