Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

24 reviews

sadieh's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Grief, War, Body horror, and Medical content

Minor: Gore

zoiejanelle's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-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

4.0

this book was SO SLOW but it really expanded on the incredible world established in The Fifth Season. the magic, the science, was all extremely fascinating and i was continually perplexed and in awe of this universe. 

i had to stop reading about 1/3rd through because of a few of the trigger warnings i list below, but i am very glad i kept going. 

NK Jemisin has such a unique way with words and her characters are all so tangible and emotive. Essun and Alabaster ripped my heart out time and time again, and i empathized with Nassun on so many unexpected  levels. i cannot wait to read the (what i have heard will be) thrilling conclusion to the trilogy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Animal death, Child death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, and Grief

Moderate: Slavery, Medical content, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Cannibalism, War, and Murder

Minor: Sexual content

some_random_person_hi's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Second book syndrome (or maybe the other books in the trilogy were just too good).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Medical content, Physical abuse, Violence, Abandonment, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Body horror, Child death, and Vomit

Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, Stalking, and Gore

Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Genocide, and War

ailsaod's review

adventurous challenging dark 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

I read this on a deadline so whenever something messed up happened I just had to shrug and keep going. This book didn't leave as much of an impression on me as book 1 (it had a tough act to follow) but my overall impression is that this book is like someone pulling a rug from under your feet and this causing you to fall down a flight of stairs. Do I know what is going on? No. There were all sorts of factions coming out the woodwork (stonework?) and I have no idea who I'm supposed to be rooting for. Also what on earth is up with Nassun? After spending the whole of book 1 trying to get to her you have this idea of what she is going to be like and having chapters from her pov did not meet those expectations in the slightest! I found her point of view a bit frustrating because I found myself wanting to shake her as she

embarked gleefully on her villain arc!

While I would say this book is less of a shocking experience than book 1 it did almost have me in tears while in the canteen at work on my lunch break (with other people around!!) so there is that. I am a bit mad that it affected me so much as the scene I am vagueing about was not unexpected at all. And then just to put the icing on the cake we had the mess that was the ending with the bugs.It'll probably be a little while until I read book 3 as I need to recover. My expectation from what happened in this book is that is will either be absolutely fantastic and be the best ending I've ever seen or it will bet bogged down by its own intricacies and I won't understand a word. It could really go either way!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Gore

Moderate: Murder, Terminal illness, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cannibalism and Genocide

If you like reading about a man getting boiled from the inside out than this is the book for you! :( Also warning for euthanasia/mercy killing.

laurenleigh's review

adventurous challenging emotional 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? Yes

5.0

The second installment in this trilogy has solidified my opinion that Jemisin is one of the greatest writers of her generation. Her style is so unique and unlike anything else I’ve ever read. This series is certainly dense (I don’t recommend audio versions even though Robin Miles is amazing), but I like a more challenging read once in awhile. It forces me to stay more present so I can attempt to fully grasp Jemisin’s genius. I can’t even begin to understand how she came up with this fantasy world! I loved the expansion of that world in this second book. The exploration of Essun and Nassun’s relationship was particularly interesting. If protecting someone you love involves sometimes hurting that same person, is it still protection? I hope we get more of Nassun in the third book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Child abuse

Minor: Pregnancy

boglord's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, War, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, Blood, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Vomit, Genocide, and Gore

Minor: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, and Slavery

smrj's review

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Body horror, Physical abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Murder, Child abuse, and Cannibalism

elenatamsen's review

adventurous challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Death, Hate crime, and Racism

Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Medical content

Minor: War, Blood, Bullying, Murder, Slavery, and Violence

alayamorning's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Murder, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, Terminal illness, Animal death, and Medical content

Minor: Ableism, Cannibalism, and Sexual content

lilifane's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

Wow. I think this was the best second book of a trilogy I've every read. I know there are a lot of people who feel differently, but for me this was perfect, and I loved it as much as the first book. I loved how it focused on the characters and their relationships and development and didn't care that not much was happening plot wise. I didn't need it. The world and the characters were fascinating enough that I didn't need any action at all. And the way you learned new things with the characters in the tiniest ways was very satisfying for me. Got to love Jemisin's writing and word use to make your head spin when the revelations become mind-blowing and emotional and epic. The ending was fantastic, and it broke me even more than I thought was possible, and I can't wait to read the last book in the series. 

But again, soooooo so many tw/cw. Not as many and as gruesome as in book one but definitely more than enough. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racism, Violence, and War