Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Power by Naomi Alderman

93 reviews

marykatesbooks'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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

WOW.
for the first third or maybe half of the book i felt like i was reading a good book but not connecting, or maybe missing something. then as the plot started to develop at a faster pace it felt like i couldn’t look away from the car crash that the characters were headed into. i LOVE that alderman didn’t just create a feminine utopia with her work. instead she called into question the belief that power, when wielded by women, is good and positive. the ending was a shocking but oddly perfect end for the characters and their stories, and the emails at the end framing it in a new perspective… just woah. it made me go back and flip through the book with this new view. 
my only issue with the book is how graphic some of the violence and rape was. this isn’t a criticism though because i think it added to the strength of the plot and the comparison to modern rape-culture. that being said, it was still difficult to get through some of those moments, probably because it was evoking memories of actual situations that women currently face. it was so easy to visualize the scenes in this book with the genders flipped since that is how it normally is. 
overall, i thought this was a phenomenal book because it didn’t just use feminine rage as an outlet for pent up anger about EVERYTHING. alderman took the opportunity to highlight feminine rage while also pointing out the flaws that can accompany power, especially when it’s at the expense of others. 
i wish there was more of each character. i want more chapters telling me more about them as people and what their lives are like outside of the snippets in the book. ugh it was so good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, War, Blood, Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Death, and Genocide

Moderate: Grief, Body horror, Confinement, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Dysphoria, Incest, and Child abuse

non graphic depiction of rape of women, graphic depiction of rape of men

miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense 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? Yes

5.0

Fucking 10/10
‘Its like shes died but shes still too alive to notice.’
‘

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, War, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Gun violence, Sexism, Trafficking, Violence, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Slavery

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, War, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Torture, Sexual content, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Death, Cursing, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Hate crime, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Body horror

Minor: Self harm, Bullying, Child death, Abortion, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Slavery, and Suicide

alisonvh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Is this book about gender dynamics or is it about the nature of Power?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Sexual content, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Rape, Violence, and War

annir's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Transphobia, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Violence, Drug use, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Gun violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Classism, Islamophobia, Child death, Hate crime, Slavery, Torture, Confinement, Cursing, and Body horror

buffalogan64's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Rape, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Death, Torture, Cursing, and Blood

rose_reads47's review

adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Rape

eve_o's review against another edition

adventurous challenging fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Murder, Rape, Body horror, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Slavery, and War

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Torture, Child death, and Confinement

Minor: Excrement, Alcohol, and Trafficking

thepermageek's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Blood, and Violence

Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Trafficking

thelizzielibrary's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

Well, this will certainly give you food for thought. It was all sorts of fucked up and terrifying. It will live in my mind forever. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Excrement, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Addiction, Antisemitism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and War