Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Power by Naomi Alderman

75 reviews

lindseyreads's review against another edition

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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, Body horror, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, Murder, and Drug use

cathannahs's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape

Minor: Trafficking

christycorr's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual violence

Moderate: Transphobia, Child abuse, Body horror, Medical content, and Death of parent

Minor: Trafficking and Antisemitism

radella_hardwick's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I certainly needed that closing bookend to relieve some of the fear, disgust and sorrow this book provoked. That last epistolary exchange returned it to the realm of bitter satire, rather than leaving us in the bleak despair of Alderman's utopia.

This book is framed as the manuscript for a novel written in a world where the gender imbalance is inverted, a world 5000 years in our future.
It charts how women, upon developing disproportionate power, don't set about building a balanced society but instead make themselves "the winners".

It is sickening in its portrayal of how quickly women lose compassion for the weaker sex. What's utterly heart-breaking is that, with the example of the Israeli state fresh in my mind, it's all too believable.

Alderman has some representation of what could be intersex characters and there's one person who tries to appropriate feminity for the power it gives him. However, I'd be fascinated to read how the author might write this now, when genderfluidity is more part of the general discourse. It's not as badly dated as the Left Behind series but it's obvious this was written when the mainstream conflated gender and sex without criticism.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Body horror, Rape, and Sexual assault

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

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

madelineahjones's review

challenging 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Body horror

Moderate: Ableism

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, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Violence

angelbabe_cj'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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Drug use, Drug abuse, Confinement, and Body horror

storiesandsidequests's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This was definitely an interesting read. I didn’t necessarily enjoy it but I enjoyed the way it satirizes and critiques the way power and gender interact. It presents a world in which women develop immense power, turning their society into one dominated by women.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Hate crime, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, and Physical abuse

alyson's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

2.25

gender essentialism and brutality in a way that felt sort of irresponsible

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence