Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

27 reviews

helfire124's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Blood, Body horror, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Drug use, Misogyny, Vomit, Infertility, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Violence, War, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Outing, Rape, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Ableism, Classism, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, and Homophobia

jes312's review against another edition

challenging dark tense 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

I loved the first book, but had a harder time with the second installment (partially because this is much darker--see content warnings). There are more POV in this book, which I wasn't as invested in from the first book, and because of that, I felt like it bogged the story down. I loved that

Zhu and Ouyang teamed up

and I wanted more from Ma's perspective, especially given how instrumental her story is in the last part of the book.

I know this is a duology, but I kind of wish there was a third, so we could see if

Zhu lives up to expectations as Emperor. Was all the sacrifice worth it?

Not knowing anything about the Ming Empire, I was left wanting more and the story feels unfinished.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, War, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, Body shaming, Death, Outing, Gore, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Child death, Grief, Rape, Slavery, and Torture

Moderate: Abortion

Minor: Abandonment

jess_always_reading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This sequel to She Who Became the Sun blew me away. It's much darker than the first novel (TW: more graphic sexual violence than She Who Became the Sun) but it doesn't feel gratuitous. 

Parker-Chan has a gift for creating complex characters and wonderfully intersecting storylines. In a rare move, I found myself looking forward to reading about and even loving some of the 'villains' (more like antagonists) in the story and there were some unexpected twists and turns that kept me guessing. 

He Who Drowned the World maintains and further develops the queer themes and relationships Parker Chan set up in She Who Became the Sun in a way that feels more bold than the first novel but still authentic to the world they have created. 

I can't recommend this series enough! 10/10!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Torture, Ableism, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Abortion, Body horror, Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, and War

Moderate: Blood and Murder

kirstinlwx's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Grief, Death, and Body horror

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Outing, Sexual violence, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Ableism, and Blood

judythedreamer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

  I had the impression after the first book that Shelley Parker-Chan has difficulties maintaining tone and was proven right, because I just read the most hippie ending to an exceedingly grimdark and trigger-filled book. It's such a weak ending compared to all the existential horror and gore that came before. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, War, Self harm, Infertility, Sexual assault, Dysphoria, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Violence, Classism, Bullying, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Gore, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Ableism, Abortion, Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Sexual violence

isabellyboo's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Homophobia, Sexism, War, and Ableism

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Abortion

ka_cam's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.75

I don’t know if I’ve read a book with so many complex and tortured relationships to gender. Ambition, sacrifice, autonomy, revenge, regret, grief, sadism and masochism, spirits destroyed and indestructible, actual spirits both benign and lethal… plus conquest and war strategy- a lot happening here. Some parts dragged a little for me but all in all a compelling and thought provoking read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Grief, Sexual content, Child death, Death, Pregnancy, Sexism, Blood, Misogyny, Violence, War, Murder, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture

and_opossum's review against another edition

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Self harm, Violence, Death, Murder, and War

Moderate: Slavery, Child death, Infidelity, Grief, and Suicide

ysary's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

I loved this book! 
The plot is amazing with a lot of twist and turn where you don't expect it. Seeing all the POV of the different Mandates makes you root for each of them and want to scream at the other when they fall into their traps. It's a very gruesome book with a lot of detailed violence that made me sometime have to take a minute before continuing reading.

In the end I knew I wanted Zhu to win but I had no idea how she would do it, everything was against her. Some of her action where more than questionable and some of them I did not understand but all of it is for the greater good. She scarified so much to get her empire but was it worth it? To me it wouldn't and I love that she also as moments of doubt because I was right there with her.

I usually don't like military books but I could not put this one down because more than armies they  are people and they aren't just fighting for power but for their future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Classism, Death, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, War, Gore, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual content and Homophobia

Minor: Abortion

shibh's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

A bittersweet end to the duology. These books look at gender and the human experience of it in a way that has left me feeling exposed and crying. In a good way though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Physical abuse, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Animal death, Homophobia, Body shaming, Classism, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Medical content, Sexual assault, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Murder, Abortion, Confinement, Genocide, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Lesbophobia, Addiction, Misogyny, Child death, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Gore, Infertility, Pregnancy, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Vomit, Xenophobia, Sexism, Transphobia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture