Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

29 reviews

amschelly153's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

Beautiful. Devastating. Incredible. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Violence, Racial slurs, Death, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Child death

crybabybea's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.5

Mind blowing. 

All the amazing things from the first book are present here. Doesn't suffer from middle book syndrome like so many trilogies do. I appreciate the time spent in the first book world-building as it made this book read like a breeze, and the author even introduced a new magic system which was much easier to grasp thanks to what we learned in book one. Just a really great example of how to continue a series. I can't wait to see how it ends!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Cannibalism, Blood, War, Murder, Death of parent, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Medical content, and Physical abuse

utopiaandmelancholy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense fast-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 book was unstoppable, it had so much drive and momentum, and manages to really builds on the existing explanations of the world and its magic system as well.  Every chapter was compelling, I loved the relationships developing between the characters, the intensity of feeling, whatever the emotion. I read the second half in pretty much one sitting. Just fantastic writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Violence, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Medical content, War, Genocide, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol

gamz's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, and Child death

faithaforman's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

A strong second book in the series, by turns emotional, dark and sometimes even surprising. Beautiful use of language and expanded perspectives from the last book. Leaves you ready and wanting for book 3.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness and Grief

Moderate: Death, Child abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

Minor: Cursing, Cannibalism, Mental illness, Blood, Child death, and Toxic relationship

bergha1998's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

3.75

This book is so full of big ideas, one of the most ambitious feats of literature I’ve read. I liked this one being a dual timeline with the daughter Nassun. Though part of it being in second person, although that person was obviously Essun or Hoa, felt a bit off to me. I’m sure plot wise perhaps in the third book it will make more sense as a choice. I just am not a fan overall of second person. 

Found Family, Duo POV, Second Person

“Like those weird cults that crop up from time to time. I heard of one that asks an old man in the sky to keep them alive every time they go to sleep. People need to believe there’s more to the world than there is.”

“The dreamer, the rebel, always reconsidering the way things have always been because maybe they should never have been that way in the first place.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, and Gaslighting

the_bees_books's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? It's complicated

4.0

Loved the second book in this series, even if it did have a little book two syndrome, cannot wait to see where book three takes me to! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Child death, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, War, and Body horror

zombiezami's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Murder, Death of parent, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Grief, Genocide, Death, Blood, Body horror, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Cursing, and Physical abuse

Minor: Deadnaming

jessthanthree'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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Child death, War, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Grief, Blood, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Xenophobia, and Body horror

Minor: Animal death, Racial slurs, and Alcohol

sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

The Obelisk Gate is the sequel to N. K. Jemisin's "The Fifth Season" and it definitely does not suffer from "bad sequel syndrome "as one goodreads user put it. This was an amazing follow up, with so much wonderful and vast world building and character growth.

I loved this and I see why it also won the Hugo award (and many other awards).
I was drawn in to the story and my interest or excitement never faltered. This book reminds me of how enamored I was while reading Octavia E. Butler's Patternist series, I see some elements of OEB's stories come through in The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate. Mainly a dystopian setting, found family, and found community to help survive the recent disasters.

I read this in 5 days only because I was buddy reading with my boyfriend and we had to read around his schedule. If I had read this on my own I probably would have finished it within a day or two. It was that good.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Physical abuse, Violence, Child death, Blood, Child abuse, and Death of parent