Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Bloed en beenderen by Tomi Adeyemi

47 reviews

zari_safari's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, and Gore

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

jan1e's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Tomi is a beautiful writer. I could easily feel all the emotions from every character and cried and laughed multiple times. I loved the African culture throughout the entire book. I appreciated the commentary on real life issues involving police brutality. The violence and angst in here could be too much for a sensitive reader (I’m finding it was for me). 

Also, the speed in which Zelie and Inan fall in love took me out of enjoying the book. Coupled with how young this books read, reading the romance between them that went beyond the first kiss made me uncomfortable.

This is Tomi’s debut though and I love seeing a Nigerian American author have such a splash in the book world. I’m rooting for her! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, Body horror, Gore, Death, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Genocide

marysunburn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

The best way to describe Children of Blood and Bone is that it RIPS. 
Juvenile, I know, but nothing could be more apt. 

Children of Blood and Bone – from this point onward COBAB – is a chilling, action-packed, emotional and necessary fantasy saga that embodies like nothing I've ever seen before the sheer pain, rage and discomfort that comes from imperialism and oppression. From the moment we see our main character Zélie first wield her staff in combat we ache with her same desire to slam it onto the guts of whichever pawn of the king first comes her way, and we cheer for her whenever said desire is fulfilled. 
Despite it being labeled young adult, COBAB is gritty and pulls no punches. Death is always present, a constant threat and a lived reality, that doesn't even spare the young and innocent. Or, to put it more bluntly, don't get too attached. 
This constant stream of young blood is put in perspective once we read the conclusion of the book and we see how author Tomi Ayedemi was inspired by real-life events of police brutality and anti-black racism, many of which, such as the death of Tamir Rice, had very young victims. And despite the main villains being as black as the people he oppresses (there's no white people in this book except as background dressing in some of said villain's dialogue and analogies, which is very "main villain" of him), the parallels to these real-life acts of cruelty and vile prejudice ring just as true through the earnest, heartfelt portrayal of their demise, each one being remembered and commemorated by Zélie even after many chapters of vicissitudes and daring-do, and the genuine call to action and resistance that permeates each one of the pages. 
Zélie is one of the best literary protagonists I've had the pleasure to come across. A passionate, vibrant young woman whose anger and indignation, thoroughly woven with a strong sense of morality and desire to do what's right, even if it's strategically inconvenient or seems impossible at first glance, drives the plot and her party through every obstacle like a righteous burst of energy. 
She's surrounded by a well-developed and engaging cast, from rebellious princess Amari, who has the best character evolution in the books, to reluctant crown prince Inan, to Zelle's protective and level-headed brother Tzain, to even minor characters like Mama Agba and Admiral Kaea. Yet, in her defiant persistence and spirit, Zélie seems to dwarf them all, and when she lights up, so do we. 

If there's anything in Children of Blood and Bone that doesn't spark joy, aside from the involved indignation at the villains' depravity and the many deaths, is the fact that even after six years since its release it's still not getting its due. A movie directed by Gina Prince-Blythewood has been announced, but nothing seems to be made of it and I'd not be surprised if the ever-delayed, ever-nebulous The Old Guard sequel comes first. If it does. But by all means, keep saying black and diverse books don't sell because people don't want them, while you peddle abusive Booktok alphahole tripe that recycles the status quo. 

In the end, COBAB's world is as real as many things around us – and even more so than meritocracy. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Blood, Child death, Classism, Deportation, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, Violence, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Gore, War, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Racism

The main character gets tortured in a POV shot. The story involves imperialistic conquest and suppression of one's true self, embodied by magic. It tackled a genocide of a fictitious culture of magical individuals, with two POV character's parent characters dying on screen. Many child characters die.

bubblybelle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

this book truly altered my brain chemistry. the world building and characters are so rich and complex. the magic system is captivating, and the plot had me enthralled from start to finish. but beyond that, this book was so much more. the parallels between this novel and the realities of our world are stark and heartbreaking. so many of my emotions about the injustices i see were captured in what these characters went through. as i sobbed for the maji of Orisha, i sobbed for the people of Palestine, Congo, and so many others taken too soon through oppression and genocide. this is now my favorite book of all time. reading the sequel immediately.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Torture, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Gore, Classism, Genocide, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Trafficking, and War

peggy_racham's review against another edition

5.0

Rereading this for the upcoming third book relase. The audiobook narrator did a great job bringing this world to life.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death of parent, Violence, Body horror, Slavery, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Torture, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Death, Fire/Fire injury, War, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, and Murder

mattyb's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Torture, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Violence, Genocide, Child death, Death, Body horror, Grief, and Blood

Moderate: Vomit, War, Trafficking, Colonisation, Murder, Medical content, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Classism, Dysphoria, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Gore

Minor: Alcohol and Animal cruelty

anjasshelf's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Genocide, Colonisation, Death of parent, Gore, Blood, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Child death, Hate crime, Violence, Torture, Classism, and Grief

black_rainbow's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Blood, Genocide, Torture, Racial slurs, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Slavery, Grief, Murder, Violence, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Vomit

strawhat_kd's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring tense fast-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

Tomi Adeyemi came out the gate swinging with Children of Blood and Bone. The book reads like a blockbuster movie in the best way possible. The scenes are detailed to bring you in to what's going on, but they are fast moving so even though a lot is happening you process what just happened after the scene ends. You get three different points of view and each one is just as engaging as the last and helps propel the story forward. Although, I liked the different perspectives, one of the characters I wasn't too fond of. Not because I didn't like them, but because I couldn't trust their motives. The pacing mixed with the different perspectives made this an engaging read. The synopsis tells you what you need to know, but if you are looking for an action packed book, filled with emotion, this is the book for you. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Gore, and Hate crime

Minor: Rape

ethuiliel's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Death, Violence, Blood, Torture, and Grief

Moderate: Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Racism, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Genocide, and Child death

Minor: Sexual content