Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

32 reviews

kwthor's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Trafficking, Murder, Torture, Death, Cursing, Child abuse, Violence, Slavery, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

Minor: Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Child death

tangledweb65's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was a challenging book to read, and I found it slightly slow to start, but GOD it was worth it. One of those books you finish and immediately reach for the next in the trilogy. I absolutely admire the style of storytelling she manages to achieve, and how she makes the characters such normal people while being so completely not. Absolutely amazing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, War, Child death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, Death, Classism, Child abuse, Violence, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Torture, Xenophobia, and Trafficking

Moderate: Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Deportation, Medical content, Animal death, Colonisation, Slavery, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Hate crime, Mental illness, and Excrement

anniehayez's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

I really can’t put my thoughts into words other than to say this is a perfect book. I think this is the most unique, intricate, heartbreaking and awe inspiring story I’ve ever read. A true masterpiece.  (Please see content warnings)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Child abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Pregnancy, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Grief, Slavery, and Murder

Moderate: Cannibalism, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Child abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Body horror, and Blood

Minor: Vomit, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Sexual assault, Rape, Transphobia, Trafficking, and Torture

kimco_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

This book was a a feat of epic literature. The world and character building was phenomenal. I truly have never read such an original science fiction novel in both writing style and story. There is no doubt in my mind the Hugo Award N.K. Jemison received for this series was earned. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Physical abuse, Child death, and Violence

rmperezpadilla's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Torture, Child death, Racism, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Slavery, and Sexual violence

Minor: Pedophilia and Rape

glitterdeww's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

Knowing how much praise it's garnered since it's debut, I have felt intimidated by The Fifth Season for years now. I am INCREDIBLY glad that I finally read it! What this book accomplishes is outstanding. The commentary on life and death, ages ending and beginning - Resurrection, and what that looks like from the smallest of instances to the grandest of scale - is truly and utterly brilliant. She portrays a world of classism and racism that is EQUALLY fantastic and believable that will gut you in it's heartbreaking reality.

Beyond Jemisin's incredible world and character development (which, if you know you know, omg! Lol) I found the structure of the story, from first page to last, to be remarkable. I'm fairly certain that if I was not told how well done this book was, I may not have dug into every scene to the extent that I did upon first go through. But goddamnit lol I cannot get over the level of precision in her story structure. The breadcrumbs she leaves... The explanation and then LACK of explanation to guide the reader into drawing those conclusions... The crafting is perfection. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child abuse, Child death, Racism, Classism, Death, Genocide, and Hate crime

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Trafficking, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

Minor: Cannibalism

cherry_lake's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

Completely loved this book, so excited to read the next one. 

Things I loved about it:
- World building
- Character development 
- Queerness as an unremarkable aspect of the world
- Excellent pacing 
- Complete commitment to the geology theme 
- Such a good plot twist near the end 
- Loose writing style that easily enveloped very difficult themes and humor

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Physical abuse, Violence, Body horror, Child death, Torture, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Slavery, and Child abuse

Moderate: Bullying and Pregnancy

brynalexa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? No

5.0

An entire book of world building but it works! I love how it comes together in the end and also how it doesn’t. Immediately picking up The Obelisk Gate. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Murder, Abandonment, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Rape, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Slavery, Trafficking, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Torture and Stalking

Minor: Alcohol

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

4.5

what the fuck, like actually. There's genuinely so many different moving pieces to this book. I have so many questions, just like, wow. I fucking called it that all POVs were the same person, I knew it. Also Syenite pissed me off so much, like it was just one stupid move after the other. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Blood, Murder, Bullying, Animal death, Alcohol, Infertility, Infidelity, Child death, Abandonment, Cannibalism, Xenophobia, War, Vomit, Violence, Transphobia, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Slavery, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Mental illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Grief, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Colonisation, Classism, Confinement, and Child abuse

This book is majorly fucked up; especially the scenes in the Fulcrum. Read at your own risk.

stierwood's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

Some things: 

I didn’tunderstand the use of the 2nd person until about 2/3rds thru the book, and then thought it was rlly clever. 

Characters were complex and loveable. 

I have a history degree. That this book focuses on history, how it is told, and who writes it was so good to read and exceptionally well-done. The lore was sooo fleshed out.

A hard one to read in a slump. The world building was complex so thank gd for the appendix. 

Dark, but never unnecessarily so. 

Except every modern dystopian piece of media i have consumed recently has had cannibalism in it and my tummy hurts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Slavery, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Body horror, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Racism, Sexual content, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Gore, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, War, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, and Sexual harassment