Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn

11 reviews

mgromero's review

challenging dark reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.5

One of the recommended books at my library and wow, so glad I picked this up.  Thin but packed full of nuance and emotions. I will definitely be purchasing and rereading this book. Half a star off only because at times it was almost too much “show, don’t tell” which made it difficult to stay in the story at times. Really hope Zin Rocklyn has given interviews on this book because I am fascinated to hear more about her mind behind the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Sexual content, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, Child death, and Pregnancy

rmphyllis's review

dark emotional tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Sexual content, Death of parent, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury

vigil's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.5

this book honestly reads as extremely uninspired and derivative. i think it is unfair to compare books and authors to each other, but once i read that rivers solomon was an inspiration to the author, it was extremely clear to me why. 

if you entered this book for the sea creature element, and you enjoyed the commentary on trauma, and all the other shit that fucked up baby started spouting towards the end, read the deep by rivers solomon, which a better take on the subjects by a mile. 

this book tried to posit itself and its character work as something it wasn’t, and this is at it’s clearest in the ending, that is meant to be a kind of reclamation of oneself and autonomy, but to the reader, evidently less concerned with symbolism than the author, it comes across as a new kind of chain. really, the prose is lovely, and the atmosphere is strong, rocklyn conveys very visceral horror and emotions through the protagonist’s experience, but there’s really nothing in this book that justifies reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pregnancy, Cursing, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence

rosesofthespring's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-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? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Hate crime, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse, Infertility, Child death, Miscarriage, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol, Miscarriage, and Abortion

This story largely revolves around a pregnancy and traumatic birth. The main character is a member of a persecuted racial and religious minority, who faces bigotry throughout.

cheye13's review

dark fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

Moderate: Confinement, Infidelity, Medical content, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Excrement

An unwanted pregnancy carried through to birth is the majority of the narrative

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Confinement

Minor: Infidelity and Sexism

Unwanted/forced pregnancy; childbirth and post-natal care. Infant death/harm. Generational trauma; discrimination/persecution. Urination, various other bodily fluids, brief emetophobia. Animal attacks, including on children. Needles in the context of wound care.

abby_griesmar's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? N/A

4.0

This book reads like a fever dream you don’t want to wake up from. So much story is packed into such a short little book. Chaotic and captivating through the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Medical content, Infertility, Death, Death of parent, Child death, and Blood

sarah984's review

dark slow-paced

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

3.0

This was another strange one to me. A cosmic horror novella about a pregnant woman on an ark at sea giving birth to a creature. I don't really know why this didn't work for me but there was so much weird relationship drama and the main character’s decisions just seem to come out of nowhere. The writing is good and I think I understand the intention of the story but it just wasn't for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Vomit

Minor: Infidelity

lacee's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Medical content, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Racism, and Sexual content

Minor: Miscarriage, Infertility, Infidelity, Death, and Death of parent

laurareads87's review

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I've been waiting to read Flowers for the Sea since I first learned of its release, saw that gorgeous cover, and read of comparisons to Octavia E. Butler.  I was not at all disappointed.  The story follows a group of survivors who've been at sea for over seventeen hundred days, surrounded by water and threatening creatures both above and below.  Iraxi is pregnant, and seems to be the only one on the ship who has been able to carry to term; she fears the fetus is not entirely human.  Iraxi is an incredible character, her rage and pain captured perfectly in gorgeous prose; the ship feels like a key character in its own right, and Rocklyn brought the sounds, sights, and horrifying smells to life with their descriptions.  The entire novella is profoundly claustrophobic, and nowhere in the tiny setting feels safe.  There is a lot to say about the intricacies of the story but for the sake of not including spoilers, I will not say too much.  This may be a book best gone into knowing as little as possible.  Recommended; look forward to reading more from Rocklyn.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Medical trauma, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Confinement

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Miscarriage