Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

98 reviews

ejspiese's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Amazing, just a truly amazing read. The language and writing is impeccable and the way the story and characters weave together is gripping and breath-taking. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Genocide

heckgoshdang's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Grief

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism

galacticvampire's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

5.0

"Stupid, stupid woman. Death was always here. Death is you."

I was enamoured by the concept of The Fifth Season from the first time I heard about it years ago, added to overall praise for the series, I was coming with high expectations.

And it delivered. Everything and more.

The execution not only lives up to the concept, but surpasses it. The suspense isn't there to pull the rug from under your feet in a gotcha moment, it's carefully crafted into the story, where the reveals are satisfying and spark the need for more, even when you caught what the foreshadowing was trying to tell you.

The world is so rich and complex that the initial struggle to follow what was going on (including the recurrent second person pov) has an immense pay-off. The feeling of wonder didn't leave me for a second.

I'm very much on the transition from YA to Adult Fantasy, so the very real darkness and grittiness surrounding everything was unexpected, but I couldn't have picked a better book to make me fall in love with the genre.

This is a story about Pain. This is a story about Grief. This is a story about enduring them and surviving them, because you have no other option.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, and Abandonment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Alcohol, and Colonisation

alexijai98's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child abuse, Hate crime, and Cannibalism

Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual violence

abmochapman's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

incredible world-building and characterization

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Misogyny, Racism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Slavery and Cannibalism

bersblue's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

4.75

I forgive Jemisin for the sex scenes (personally I don't like them, but here they are well written), but I will never forgive this ending. I'm in tears. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Pedophilia, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and War

katievallin's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy

Minor: Blood, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

vivavia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

cookiecat73's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Genocide, Gore, Racism, Transphobia, Vomit, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

Minor: Confinement, Slavery, and Dysphoria

cptnstphy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Fascinating what Jemison is capable of! The story unfolds in very unexpected and exciting ways. I knew early on that I would have to read it twice to really understand it, and I look forward to doing so. The worldbuilding is strong and the characters mysterious and interesting, and the reader can feel connected to them in some ways despite the fantasy-inflicted differences.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Medical content

Minor: Vomit, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol