Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Schwarzer Leopard, roter Wolf by Marlon James

92 reviews

motherofpurl's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kodafaith's review against another edition

Go to review page

Maybe it was just the writing was not for my brain at this moment or the fact that in the first couple paragraphs there was talk about raping a goat and a little girl…. And in the short time I read it seemed so very centered around penises. I dunno. I don’t think this is the right time for this book for me personally.

 I originally wanted to read this for the Reddit 2022 bingo spot “set in Africa” but there are so many other books I could use for this category that I wouldn’t have to force myself to read.

Maybe later I will attempt this book again, maybe not.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

gone_awry's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark sad tense fast-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

4.25

A dark and graphic adventure horror book that holds compelling roots in various African mythologies, and explores queer identities and realities within the context of this grime backdrop. A powerful example of an author working with unlikable characters who lack an awareness of their own short comings, and a compelling rejection of traditional adventure tropes and narratives even as the book proceeds as an adventure. Many rejected calls to adventure, many choices regrettable and cruel. The you main character learns early on from his mentor “no one loves no one” and that ideology permeates so much of his worldview from then on. Fascinating, terrifying, and wholly unique. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

book_cwtch's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
Oy vey. Caveat, I listened to the last 200 pages after slogging through the first 400  on paper. This was pitched as Game of Thrones in Africa and aside from strange sex and lots of plot lines, I’m not sure there are additional comparisons to be made. I wanted to love this but felt it was too disjointed to keep it all straight. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

brazenbookbabe's review against another edition

Go to review page

Had so much trouble getting into the story. Not for me.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sshabein's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

2.75

I respect the world-building and inventive takes on African folklore here, the writing has some good moments, and I liked seeing queer characters in this fantasy setting, but this book wasn't really for me. The violence is toe-curling, the prevalence of rape or talk of it is a LOT, and the point of view is so... Male? I guess I am not really enjoying the dick-swinging, both literal (and sometimes Spider-y?) and in attitude. Definitely not a bad book, but I won't be reading the sequel.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

its_kievan's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious slow-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

1.0

My copy of this book has rave reviews from, among others, the New York Times, the Guardian, Lousie Erdrich, and Salman Rushdie, describing it as "gripping", "extraordinary", and "a miracle". I think if they had asked me instead I would have described Black Leopard, Red Wolf as "boring", "shit", and "weirdly obsessed with incest". I might have explained that reading this book was a frustrating slog, that the supposedly artistic prose just made everything impossible to understand, or that between this and Tade Thompson's Rosewater I'm starting to wonder where all this "award-winning African SFF" is getting its awards from. But hey, nobody asked me.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

local_hat's review against another edition

Go to review page

Because honestly, nope. See trigger warnings.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

annabelreading's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense 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

4.25

Expand filter menu Content Warnings