Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

190 reviews

stefhyena's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? No

4.75

This book hurt me!!!!

But I will put myself through the trauma of the sequel so I guess at this point it's my own fault.

It takes a while to understand what is going on so be patient. It's dark and bleak (but then again it is about slavery and oppression). It involves bad things happening to children and to adults who are just trying to live their lives.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Slavery, and Child abuse

juniper_vs_tbr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

**PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS**

I've never read a high fantasy book before as they were also so intense with lore drops.

This book doesn't bomb you with lore but breaks it down and does re-explain things from times, which made this a fun read.

I loved the characters and putting together to overarching story. It was brutal, but I still kept reading on.

I have never read a book this long so quickly. No big book has ever been easy to read or this fun.

The world building is so smart, the characters beyond interesting (especially Alabaster) with so much unexpected queer representation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Genocide, Murder, Racial slurs, Violence, Death, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Slavery, War, Trafficking, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, and Kidnapping

jess_always_reading's review against another edition

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? N/A

5.0

I absolutely loved this book! It's very dark (fair warning) but it's done so well. Nothing feels gratuitous, it paints a dark but brutally honest picture. 

I loved the different lived experiences depicted amongst the diverse characters (including a poly relationship!) and he world-building without clear explanation was a fun mystery to unravel as I went along. 

Highly recommend, Jemisin has an incredible gift and so much talent! I've already requested the next one in the series from my local library. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Rape, Violence, Child abuse, and Child death

Minor: Pedophilia and Cannibalism

jareadforfilth's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective 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? No

4.25

WOW, this book is a trip! There is sooo much going on and some pretty great twists in here. Jemisin’s mind is incredible, to be able to construct such an intricate story and such an involved premise that feels consistent and solid is beyond me.

For the sake of audiobook, the multiple stories were a bit difficult to track, but when it’s revealed that it’s actually multiple timelines follow a single character, it actually got easier (and sooo much more fun)

I LOVED the rep here too, this fantasy book features so much diversity and different queer representation!! I’m way more intrigued than I thought I would be and am eager to keep reading!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

elisalasater's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Sexual content, War, and Slavery

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

ablomso96's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-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

4.0

An interesting and literary sci-fi story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Hate crime, Child death, Murder, and Slavery

ouivie's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Torture, and Child abuse

Minor: Gaslighting, Murder, Grief, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, and Slavery

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