Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue

17 reviews

hdkreads's review

challenging dark slow-paced

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

3.5

A very ambitious, short but slow-paced book. The story was interesting but I found it hard to follow and hard to stay invested. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Colonisation

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

shammy7's review against another edition

challenging informative medium-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

4.0

Fresh topic, unique perspectives, dry/dark humor laced through it. I enjoyed diving into Tenochtitlán through the eyes of Enrigue’s characters. Felt a little trippy to read, especially with the novel structure, lack of quotation marks for dialogue, and hallucinogen & labyrinth motifs. A bit challenging but would recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Rape

Minor: War

marielulus's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Excrement, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Rape, Torture, and Colonisation

Minor: Incest and Cannibalism

dsuzno's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

2.5

Weird novel

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use and Rape

Minor: Cannibalism

bookkaterer's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Violence

Minor: Drug use

naturalog's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny informative reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Violence, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Rape, Slavery, and Death of parent

Minor: Misogyny, Vomit, and Cannibalism

bisexualwentworth's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a very strange book. I think it accomplished what the author wanted it to, and I think I liked it. I certainly looked at the world through a slightly shifted lens for a few hours.

You Dreamed of Empires is experimental historical fiction that reads like fantasy. I mean that in a complimentary way.

I will probably revisit it at some point.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Racism, Rape, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Colonisation

Moderate: Incest, Slavery, and Religious bigotry

auudrey's review against another edition

challenging mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Drug use and Rape

Minor: Vomit

eardil's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative 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

3.5

Una novelización interesante sobre la primera visita de los españoles a Tenochtitlán.

Positivo:
* Me gustó su worldbuilding. Pude sentirme envuelto en el palacio y la ciudad con sus templos y entender un poco mejor la estructura de los islotes
* Los personajes tienen fuertes características. Moctezuma como el paranoico hundido en hongos pero aún con un objetivo estratégico muy claro, la figura del jefe de gobierno de la ciudad como su mano derecha y sus motivaciones propias, pero aún su amigo. Cortés con su celo ingenuo y tóxico.
* El final me encantó. No quiero hacer spoilers así que solo diré que la escena me pareció muy bien llevada.

Negativo:
* La estructura de los diálogos me parece innecesariamente obtusa. Saramago hace algo con la opacidad de quién está hablando cuando no usa casi signos de puntuación. Me pareció que Enrigue solo intentó usarlo para parecer interesante.
* A veces la "crudez" es un poco gratuita, aunque no es tanta como para que me pareciera molesta, pero no siempre es necesaria. Y creo que lo señalo menos porque no la quiero ahí y más porque cuando la usa efectivamente sí lo hace bien, y usarla de más abarata esos momentos.

Veredicto:
Recomiendo el libro sobre todo en cuanto a costo-beneficio. Es muy corto, y lo que construye lo hace bien.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Excrement, and Colonisation

Moderate: Sexual assault and Classism

Minor: Drug abuse and Cannibalism

historicalmaterialgirl's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

unlike anything i've ever read... dizzying & dazzling. ur gonna have to work to understand it and author is very clearly playing with form but the more I read the more I was like girl WHAT is going on

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use

Moderate: Sexual violence and Violence