Reviews tagging 'War'

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

55 reviews

bwwilhelm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

This book does NOT shy away from the horrors of slavery and genocide and war. Pay attention to the content warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Murder, Torture, Emotional abuse, Grief, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Child death, Genocide, Hate crime, and War

Moderate: Confinement, Abandonment, Animal death, and Ableism

Minor: Blood

pyromastyx's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Trafficking, Rape, and Violence

Minor: Transphobia, War, and Homophobia

lauramcc7's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Child abuse, Death, Violence, and War

zoiejanelle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

best adult fantasy book i have read to date. a book about what it means to become a parent, to lose a child, and to sacrifice everything for love. an allegory for blackness in the U.S. really cool magic system, great writing (once things picked up) and emotional twists. highly recommend to all fantasy lovers! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Child death, Death, Animal death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Classism, Genocide, Pregnancy, Slavery, Violence, Colonisation, Gore, Hate crime, Medical content, Racism, and Vomit

Moderate: War, Torture, and Sexual content

gogoisopodranger'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? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Racism, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Blood, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Medical trauma, and War

valenx's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Xenophobia, and War

decklededgess's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

Trigger warnings: racism, torture, child abuse, domestic abuse, death of child, sexual assault and child sexual assault, confinement, slavery, murder, gore, emotional abuse, sexual content

A biting allegory for the atlantic slave trade and the treatment of enslaved folk, representation of generational trauma and the pain of choices made to protect and survive, and so much more. 

It's a three part timeline following three characters in different eras of this world leading up to the catastrophic natural disaster that will lead to the next seasonal change that occurs in this universe. Each character is living an entirely different life: a child getting recruited into an academy to train her powers, a trainee going on her first mission, and a women with powers who was in hiding and is now in search of her kidnapped child.

I had no idea where anything was headed nor what the goal of the book was outside of survival. In that way I suppose this is a dystopic apocalypse survival book as well as a fantasy. Every new detail revealed was a depressing shock to the system as I read yet everything that led me to say, well what the hell else did I expect that's the dire reality of this world and the real world tragedies it's referencing.

I look forward to the next two books with trepidation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Trafficking, Slavery, Murder, Domestic abuse, Child death, Child abuse, Torture, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Body horror, Vomit, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Death

monaluffy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

WOW! This series are so goooood! Read it if you can! The "magic" system is so cool, the characters are diverse and AWESOME.

Look for the TW!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Classism, Violence, and Child death

Moderate: Torture, Cannibalism, War, and Suicidal thoughts

prettiestwhistles's review

dark emotional tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Child death, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Colonisation, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: War and Pregnancy

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This novel was exceptionally well written, and I 100% understand the hype behind it, however it just took me a long time to get into. "The Fifth Season" follows a woman who is trying to find her kidnapped child, and she will go to any length to bring her daughter home. Essun has already lost her son, and she will not give up hope to be reunited with her daughter. There is some magical elements as well, and a grand adventure across great land. 
The world building is very complex, and you need to pay close attention to every detail or you will not fully appreciate what is happening. The author also chose to write a portion of the book in second person, which is not something I see too often. It initially threw me for a loop and really took me out of the story, and I found it difficult to continue to stay invested in Essun's story. 
If I do decide to continue with this series, I think I will need to reread this book so I can full appreciate what is happening, but I definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for an adult Dystopian Fantasy! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, War, Violence, and Murder