Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

69 reviews

em_the_wallflower's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, Terminal illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Death

Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, and Medical content

papercrw's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

catsy2022's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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? No

4.5

Rating: B+

A phenomenal audio production, each chapter has a new narrator and is fully cast (no audio effects though). Incredibly weird in some chapters, otherwise very interesting and emotional.

How High We Go In the Dark (HHWGITD) is a science fiction dystopian novel of humanity and the Earth recovering after a pandemic released from melting polar ice. Each chapter focuses on a character integral to the change in the planet, and then subsequent chapters follow people connected to their family. The first chapter about the father of Clara, a scientist who fell to her death in the Antarctic, was so emotional and moving. The final chapter, as well, was strangely dream-like and brings the entire story full circle.

This is essential reading for people looking for sensitive and unusual science fiction, relevant to our lives today.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, Child death, and Terminal illness

Minor: Animal death

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

like any short story collection, some were absolutely hits and others were misses. i wish i could’ve given this 5 stars based on some of the stories but others unfortunately brought it down. none of them were bad but some were just boring or lackluster. that was definitely a small amount of the stories though, most were very very good!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, Grief, Alcoholism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Medical content, Alcohol, Body horror, Animal death, Child death, Child abuse, and Chronic illness

thoughtsontomes's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

This is in the same wheelhouse as Station Eleven, so if you liked that I would try this. Except instead of following the same characters, every chapter is a different POV across time during and following a pandemic. Some of the stories weave together closely and some more subtly but it is masterfully done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Terminal illness, and Child death

yogomagpie's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.0

I loved the first story, but after reading a few more stories I began to feel very fatigued. I grew bored reading so many similar stories over and over again and became desensitized to all the deaths and grieving. But maybe getting desensitized is the point. Anyway, my fav chapter is the one with the pig. It was so messed up and sad.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Cancer, Child death, Death of parent, Medical content, Death, and Body horror

Moderate: Alcoholism, Vomit, Alcohol, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal death

definestrange's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Animal death, Death of parent, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Cancer

maddie_can_read's review against another edition

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

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

5.0

Very unique book, really enjoyed it. Author was really good at getting you to care for the many characters. Lots of interesting speculative fiction and science fiction ideas. 

The first few chapters were a lot sadder than I expected and I cried 3 times and I don't normally cry for books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Child death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Grief, and Medical content

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Infidelity, and Suicide

I found the ends of chapter 2, "city of laughter" and chapter 4 "pig son Incredibly sad. Chapter 2 involves the death of a terminally ill child and chapter 4 involves the death of a terminally ill pig- hybrid who is child-like

torismazarine's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Pregnancy, Child death, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Medical content

Moderate: Confinement, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Dementia

Minor: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Classism, and Murder

arlaubscher's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Blood, Cancer, Child death, Death, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Body horror, Medical content, and Suicide

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Classism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Dementia, Confinement, Mental illness, Gore, and Infertility