Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Power by Naomi Alderman

185 reviews

allyjshand's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Power was darker and more graphic than I was expecting, although I can’t fault that as that’s more of a personal preference. I loved the premise and found the power subversions seen throughout the book clever although often challenging to read. I also enjoyed the format of the book with the different POVs, the emails, and images as they added something different. Having said that, I felt like the relationships between characters were sometimes weak, perhaps bringing them together sooner would have helped this. I also didn’t enjoy the ending as I didn’t really understand the characters’ motives. Overall a mixed bag and a three star read for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Gore, Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: War, Death of parent, Cursing, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug use

bestkasescenario's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring tense fast-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

4.75

Loved it! The ending felt a little rushed and it didn’t feel “complete” but I still loved the book in its entirety. Excellent storytelling & I did find it a little Atwood-esque which made sense at the end to learn that Atwood mentored Alderman. Stoked to watch the show, I hope it lives up to the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, Slavery, Sexual content, Misogyny, Sexual assault, War, Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

bookwormcat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Rape, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Murder, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Physical abuse, War, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

dnietoperafan's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense fast-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 really wanted to like this book, I ended up with mixed feelings. 

The Power is first and foremost a critique, not a 'what if' type of book. I started reading it as a 'what if' type of novel, which is how it was marketed, but I quickly realised, I don't think this was Alderman's intent. The gore, the violence, the misuse of power... I don't think Alderman believes women (as a group) would make these mistakes after knowing what it is to be on the other side of it. That's why I continued reading The Power as a critique to our current patriarchal society.

Alderman fully swaps how patriarchy currently works, and puts women in those rotten positions of power. She completely mirrors today's horrors (which I believe wouldn't happen if women suddenly got electric powers). Which is why so many people who read this book are appalled. So please, read this book knowing it's a critique and not a 'what if'.

So how come I rated it a 3-star and not a 4-star? As a story, The Power was just a bit bland for me. The plethora of characters was interesting at first, but there wasn't anything deep in them. Their development felt quite superficial, and I didn't care for them. So critique-wise, amazing book; story-wise, it could have definitely been better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, War, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual content

Moderate: Violence, Trafficking, Torture, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Sexual harassment

pasadenaellie's review

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, Rape, and Pedophilia

sbox's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.25

Definitely a gripping book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Murder, Death, Death of parent, and Sexism

Moderate: Trafficking, War, and Cursing

Minor: Racism

aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.25

Check out content/trigger warnings (I don't think the ones I chose are all inclusive of what is in the book so look up all the reviews that have the warnings) because some stuff can be quite graphic. 
Overall liked it but didn't love it. I didn't really care for the ending but enjoyed the overall idea of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, Torture, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Confinement

donomak's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, Violence, and Physical abuse

amelia_rose_20's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.0

3/10 | Naomi Alderman's “The Power” was a major letdown for me. The writing felt like it was lacking a clear vision of its final form. The book’s underlying argument that “absolute power corrupts absolutely”, suggesting that women, given power, would be as (and even more) corrupt, violent and cruel as men, was disappointing and something I disagree with. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Violence, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Rape, War, Sexual assault, Torture, and Murder

penguins_save_lives's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, and Rape

Moderate: Medical trauma, War, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Torture, Police brutality, Murder, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Stalking