Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The Power by Naomi Alderman

69 reviews

booksgamesvinyl's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

supernova_reader's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

grifgirl's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

its_kievan's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

3.5

The writing is absolutely flawless. Alderman does an incredible job of mixing poetic prose with some of the most brutal scenes I've ever read, and the story as a whole is just incredibly affecting. Where it falls flat is Alderman's attempt to merge a philosophic treatise on gender roles in society with a sci-fi novel about women getting superpowers. The sci-fi lessens the impact of the gender commentary, and the commentary means that a lot of the stuff around politics and war feels underdeveloped and shallow. However, this is a still a really well-written book, and in my opinion it's one that everyone should read at least once in their lives. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Drug use and Trafficking

Minor: Racism

scribblesbysammy's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

An emotive tale that analyses what would happen if women became the stronger gender.
A physiological development allows women to conduct and emit electricity, weaponising it. The story is narrated from the perspectives of multiple people, ranging from a young man who captures the first film of a shock, to a female American politician, to a foster girl who hears a voice and begins a religious movement. They move through independent yet intersecting stories that chart the emergence of this gift and the freedom it provides. This then

devolves as woman make the same grabs for power that men do in the present day, ranging from sexual assault to organ harvesting to dictatorship <spoiler/>.
An intriguing and evocative piece of feminist speculative fiction.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, and Child abuse

The deeper you go, the darker it gets.

miadevito's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense medium-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? No

2.5

The premise of the book is interesting and it seems like it will turn into a "good for her" style narrative, but the author makes a clear choice to not take that route. Which I think could have been interesting but ultimately misses the mark.

Having women become abusers, rapists, misandrists, etc. because they can "finally" subjugate men is unrealistic and kind of stupid. There are multiple times in the book where the new women in charge say "we know what the men did to women in the past" and then turn around and do the same to men is ridiculous. Yes, some people who have been abused turn into abusers themselves, but the majority don't. This book clearly is trying to say that without equality nothing changes, but none of the characters seemingly are even attempting to make things equal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Hate crime, Sexual violence, Slavery, Medical content, and Death of parent

mfiegel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Trafficking, and Medical trauma

lineofbooks's review against another edition

dark 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

3.0

For me, this is nothing more than a nice poolside read. Really interesting premise that could've made for a brilliant book in the hands of a better writer. None of the ideas in here were new to me, but i'm old and jaded - they may be new to quite a few readers and for that reason I'm actually glad this book has been hyped up. I hope lots of teens are reading this and finding this influential.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical trauma, and Murder

alexbobalex's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Everyone should read this book at least once. It’s a story everyone can relate to, as we all are affected by gender and it’s power dynamics. This book made me relook at human history itself, and wonder. All that being said, strongly recomend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

LOOK AT THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. This book it for a mature audience and contains many, many triggers.

ginadapooh's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Medical trauma, and Murder