Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

56 reviews

city_girl_writer's review against another edition

adventurous 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

This was really good. This was my first N.K. Jemisin book, and I am impressed. When the twists were coming, I was at the edge of my seat. The narrator did a great job bringing more life into the characters. I don't fully understand the world, but I think the sequel will help me to better adjust. Very curious to see what happens next in The Obelisk Gate.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, and Death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Grief, and Racism

Minor: Cannibalism

bookslumper's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Body horror, Police brutality, Confinement, Racial slurs, Torture, Child abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Excrement, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, and Genocide

yomireads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

A well developed fantasy setting with intriguing and unique magic systems in place, while maintaining the familiarity in a system that exploits the same people it oppresses. The different perspectives allow for a solid look at the world, though it often feels difficult to grasp, with magical vocabulary that's equally difficult to acclimate to without familiarizing yourself with the appendix first. I also have a personal struggle and bias against 2nd person perspectives, though the writing was superb, and the discomfort and tone of a 2nd person narrative is definitely intentional and masterfully executed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Racism, Child death, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, and Racial slurs

jessthanthree's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, Torture, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Slavery, Child abuse, and Violence

Minor: Confinement, Animal death, Body horror, Pedophilia, Classism, Cannibalism, Dysphoria, and Rape

andsoitgoes's review against another edition

5.0

Excellent, unique fantasy novel. Very fast paced. I appreciated the different writing style (2nd person, lots of slang). Check trigger warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Classism, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Child death, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Racial slurs

Minor: Cannibalism

brycestevenwilley's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

Interesting journey, the worldbuilding is very well integrated, and the rules don't feel like they're in flux as much as you, the reader, and ghe characters themselves are finding out the limits and mysteries.

I always forget that there's an appendix in the back, would have helped the first 75 pages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Child death, Classism, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Genocide

Moderate: Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Hate crime, Violence, Racial slurs, and Torture

studydniowka's review against another edition

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

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

5.0

One of the best fantasy books I have ever read. Epic story about the world so different but still so similar to our lives here and now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Hate crime, Racism, Xenophobia, Violence, Physical abuse, Gore, Death, Confinement, Classism, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Grief, Emotional abuse, Child death, Torture, Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, Medical trauma, Body horror, and Blood

_forestofpages's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

** content warnings: child death, violence, abuse, murder, torture, graphic sexual content, enslavement, environmental disaster, grief **

This book throws you into the deep end of a post-apocalyptic world that is on the verge of yet another apocalyptic event. But this one, might just be the final one.  

There are a smallish group of marginalized magical people and the humans that enslave them, but most of the population of Father Earth (yes Father not mother, no idea why) is small because Father Earth is angry and continuously triggers these world shattering events called "Seasons". They are always different, and always devastating. Most of the time these seasons wipe out large swaths of the population and their civilizations, forcing humanity to start over every few decades. 

The plot can be hard to sift through at first, because again, you are thrown into the deep with no life-raft, but once you have a handle on the basics and the characters are established (about 70 pages in or so), the story takes off and some of your questions are answered, then a lot more are posed. The writing is amazing, the second person parts are so immersive and make you really feel like you are a part of this story, and the amount of forethought is incredible. I personally am upset with myself for not picking this up sooner. The very obvious climate themes are so relevant, and terrifying in this context. The psychological depth of the characters and their journeys, and the raw emotion of the main character's personal tragedy, not to mention the tragedy of the orogene in general is gut-wrenching, and so beautifully done.

If you haven't read this yet, I doubt you will disappointed.  Overwhelmed maybe, but not disappointed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Slavery, Murder, and Grief

Moderate: Physical abuse, Torture, Animal death, and Blood

madyou's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Kidnapping, Sexual violence, and Sexual content

Minor: Pregnancy and Cannibalism

mrsmowrey's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

It's definitely not for anyone who finds diversity and sexuality to be offensive. It also requires you to use your own imagination, things are not spelled out for you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Abandonment, Blood, Sexual content, and Child death

Moderate: Genocide, Grief, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Racial slurs, and Racism

Definitely one of the best books I have read in years.