Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

20 reviews

chellcake's review

adventurous challenging inspiring mysterious 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: Sexism, Body horror, Gore, Blood, Torture, Religious bigotry, Child death, War, Misogyny, and Violence

Moderate: Racism, Physical abuse, Grief, Vomit, Self harm, Bullying, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Cursing, Colonisation, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Grief, Pedophilia, Rape, Confinement, Drug use, and Trafficking

flare_ice8's review

adventurous dark 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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, Vomit, and War

queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

 5 ⭐ CW: death of a parent, racism, misogyny/oppression of women, violence, descriptions of blood and gore, dismemberment, torture, implied rape, child sexual abuse, PTSD, genocide, violence against women (including verbal violence)

"Are we girls, or are we demons? Are we going to die, or are we going to survive?"

"We who are dead salute you!"

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is her debut nice, and what a debut it was! This book was glorious, yet brutal. I could not out it down.

We follow Deka, a mixed race black girl living in the Northern Provinces, where racism toward dark skinned people is rampant. Not only does Deka suffer from this ostracism, she is also found to be impure--meaning she bleeds gold instead of red--marking her for immediate execution. Deka goes through trauma after trauma as the villagers try in vain to kill her until an emissary from the Emperor comes to collect her for the Emperor's special army.

Deka trains with other "impure" girls and learns her new abilities, although she soon realizes she's different from the rest of the girls.

We get an excellent found family trope, chosen one trope, and even a slow burn romance. This book does not center in the romance, it's barely a blip. The importance is placed on the friendship Deka has with Britta. We get wonderful diverse characters with flaws. We even have a sapphic side character.

This story is full of struggle, betrayal, and long game outcomes. Although I figured out the twist fairly early, it didn't feel wasted. We also get fantastic feminist messages about the oppression of women born out of men's desire for power and control. Just like in real life, however, we can't lump all the men into one group. We get to see men being true allies and deferring when appropriate.

We get a magical animal pet sidekick! #TeamIxa forever. The world building in this was great, I loved all the fantastical creatures and their varied intelligences. I can't wait to see what Forna has in-store for us in the next book! Did you it's going to become a tv show?! It's going to be beautiful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Gore, Torture, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Child abuse and Sexual violence

ananko's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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: Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and War

Moderate: Rape, Grief, Kidnapping, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

plumpaperbacks's review

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

I went into The Gilded Ones expecting a fun fantasy story, and was surprised not only by its heavier themes but also by just how good it was from the very beginning.

This is one of the most unique, immersive stories I’ve read in some time. Forna created a brilliantly intricate world that, despite a few basic similarities to other fictional worlds, is overall unlike any I’ve read about before. The mythology is so vivid it nearly seems real, the creatures and setting so impressively creative, yet none of it is confusing or difficult to understand.

Forna outdid herself writing a complex, diverse and lovable cast of characters. Deka is a protagonist I rooted for as soon as I met her, and it took very little time for me to be equally charmed by her friends, Britta, Belcalis, and Adwapa. These girls have endured so many hardships and gotten stronger because of them, without losing their vulnerability or the best parts of their personalities. Not only were they all great on their own, but their friendship was phenomenal and so heartwarming. One of the best girl squads I’ve ever read about, undeniably.

I would say the romance was one of the best parts, but honestly, every part of this book could be described the same way. The romance is subtle until the final third of the book, when it becomes clear that Deka and Keita have feelings for each other that go beyond friendship. Their slow-burn romance is memorable because it’s written differently than those in so many other books. It’s focused not on passion and lust but a deep connection between two people, a tender, unwavering affection. I love them so much, more than I can express.

Although the ending was emotional in numerous ways, it wasn’t a cliffhanger, and I appreciate that very much. Even without one, I’m extremely eager for the second book. I’ll be eagerly awaiting any scrap of news I can find.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s spectacular in every aspect, and the fact that it’s Forna’s debut novel is mind-blowing. I can definitely see the Deathless trilogy becoming an all-time favorite, since the first book is already there. Highly, highly recommended for those who can handle the content.

Representation

• Black protagonist
• side characters of color (includes Black rep)
• sapphic side characters
• minor sapphic side romance (f/f)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Gore, Death, Blood, Body horror, Torture, Misogyny, Sexism, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Racism, Racial slurs, Self harm, Xenophobia, Body shaming, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Genocide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Homophobia, Pregnancy, Trafficking, Vomit, Death of parent, and Alcoholism

It can be very grotesque at times, so be careful if you’re squeamish.

cerilouisereads's review

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexism, Rape, and Religious bigotry

megplant's review

adventurous dark 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: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Torture

Moderate: Death of parent

alainamo's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Torture

juliecathryn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.75

A fast-paced, fierce, feminist fantasy that was hard for me to put down. Fortunately, I knew of the graphic physical violence before going into this and the way it is used is so important to the world Namina Forna created. Knowing it was inspired by her experiences growing up in Sierra Leone during the civil war makes it all the more resonant. It's a world that feels classic to me, but fresh and relevant.

The bond formed among the "impure" girls was wonderful and I loved their rapport, different personalities, and love for another.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, and Violence

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders

roguebelle's review

dark fast-paced

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

3.75

I could heartily recommend this book to someone looking to get into YA fantasy, particularly if that reader is from a marginalized community and wanted to see herself as the protagonist in such a story. I would have to do so with the suggestion that she look carefully at the story's content warnings, however, as there is a lot of graphic gore and less-graphic sexual violence embedded in the narrative.

For frequent readers of YA fantasy, the general patterns and tropes will be apparent from "go". A sixteen year old girl faces a Ritual (yes, capitalized) dictated by her patriarchal and puritanical society. Things go Terribly Wrong because she is Different, and in the rest of the story, she must Embrace Her Destiny (capitalizations mine, here). Standard fare, but it's certainly nice to see more diversity applied to those tropes.

The religious themes are heavy-handed with little room for nuance, but in a way that's fairly typical for the genre. The story's "big twist" is easy to see coming a mile away for any genre-savvy reader, and getting to that point is a bit of a bumpy ride. The narrative sort of careens between training montages and infodumps, without giving us a lot of time to appreciate the characters. We're often informed about personalities, but we get less opportunity to see them on display.

The predictable YA romance is predictable and rather boring. There was absolutely a more interesting choice, and if I continue with this series, it would mostly be to see if the author pulls a bait-and-switch on the expected direction and makes the bolder choice later on.

I mean, seriously, pair Deka up with Britta and suddenly this whole story is a lot more interesting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Torture, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Vomit and Excrement