Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan

35 reviews

happyknitter2020's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Absolutely tragic account of war, the significant abuse of young children & families, by those in control.

Observing a fictional family,  their friends & an exploitating lover, brought their horrific life experiences to life.  

Difficult to say you 'enjoyed' such a book, but definitely appreciate how this brings historical experiences to life & helps you to reflect on the current world wars & individuals experiences that are happening today.

The audio book was fantastic. Definitely recommend to others.

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me to listen to the audio book & provide this review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, War, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Blood, Child abuse, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Murder, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Rape, Pedophilia, Torture, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Death, and Slavery

amanda_marie's review

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

An absolutely stunning debut. I haven’t been engrossed in a book so quickly in a long time, but between the tumultuous plot and dynamic characters I was instantly captivated. The ending didn’t even disappoint, which is a feat given the subject matter and many moving parts. Highly recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual violence, Racism, and Child death

ackaleigh's review

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Colonisation, War, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual assault and Child death

rosarachel's review

dark emotional informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, Colonisation, War, Slavery, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Grief, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, and Rape

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Kidnapping

Minor: Torture, Pedophilia, and Trafficking

okiecozyreader's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Taking place over 10 years, from 1935 to 1945, a mother, Cecily looks back over her choices and her role in bringing the Japanese to colonize over the British in Malaya. 

The time goes back in forth between the end in 1945 then back 9 years, 8 years, etc and at the same time, the viewpoint of her son, who was taken and put in a camp, as well as other viewpoints.

This is a book to read when you can handle a difficult story. As in many WWII books, there isn’t really anything “good” or happy that happens. At the same time, I found myself thinking about these characters when I wasn’t reading the book. 

Many people in the #bookfriendsbookclub really enjoyed the audio for this one - they felt it was well done, so you might consider that if you’re interested in this one. 

“…during a war, the only priority was one’s own family.” Ch 1 Cecily

“Isn’t every man a good man and a bad man?” Ch 2 Cecily

“Distance was a deceiver in that way, lulling her into a sense of stability and security,…” ch 15 Cecily 
…
“She missed being a woman who cared about something, missed being a woman who was more than just an extension of her house and family.” ch 15 Cecily

“—some women just weren’t made for a peaceful life; she was someone who needed the simmering possibility of chaos.”
Ch 17 Cecily 

“When Abel had been taken, their fear and pity had lasted longer. Perhaps it was earlier in the Occupation and people had not yet been cauterized to accept pain as part of existence. Or perhaps, Jujube thought, there was recognition that the first time something like this happened would be the hardest, but subsequent tragedies were supposed to get easier—like a scabbed-over wound that split open—you were already supposed to know how to feel; you did not need the salve of extended sympathy.” Ch 18 Jujube

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: Alcohol, Medical content, Abandonment, and Death

noladawnreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Death, and War

Moderate: Confinement, Child abuse, and Child death

cassiebartelme's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

2.75

While I appreciate a WWI/WWII story in a different setting (in this case Malay aka modern day Malaysia) with multiple POVs  and timelines I ultimately found this one just okay. With so much going on, I never felt that connected with the characters who should have been the heart of the novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Violence, Sexual assault, Gore, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, and Death

pran's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad fast-paced

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

2.0

This is a very ambitious book. It is trying to be a historical, espionage, family-drama, wartime thriller.

Unfortunately I think the tension-building could've been better as I just did not feel it was very propulsive. I think this was due to a combination of the writing style, character-building and pacing. 
I didn't feel attached to the characters, I think because Cecily was really just built of everything she hadn't done or wasn't, rather than qualities or traits she had. I thought the characterisation of the children was much better, and I certainly felt more attached to them and they felt more life-like.

However, I think the book was too short to actually explore everything it did, and had it been longer, it would've made more sense and felt less stilted.

Abel's alcoholism, Yuki's abuse and disfigurement and Gordon's death

felt like they were basically just trauma porn and plot-driven, rather than experiences that the characters go through which develop them. You could see through almost every interaction in the book as being purposeful for the plot rather than being seamlessly weaved together and capturing early 1940s Malaysia.

And then the ending just felt hastily tied together because books like this need to have a neat ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Alcoholism, Death, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: War, Child abuse, and Sexual content

internationalreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative sad medium-paced

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

3.0

This one didn’t quite work for me. The characters felt one-dimensional and like they were written for the white gaze. I appreciated the setting in WWII Malaya though, which we need more books about.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Slavery, Blood, Confinement, Gore, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Racism, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, War, and Vomit

jasminegalsreadinglog's review

challenging dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan, a historical fiction, is a story of a family who is affected by the Japanese invasion of Malaya, currently Malaysia. It's a story of survival amid the knowledge that one evil was traded for another.

Set in the period 1930s and 1940s, this novel is Cecily's and her children's story. Alternating between timelines and characters, this book gives us a glimpse of both the British rule and the Japanese rule of Malaya during this period. 

This book is not an easy read by no means. But then, topics of colonialism, marginalization, and colorism are not supposed to be easy. Topics of slave labor camps, racial profiling, and child exploitation are handled this book. My heart literally broke into pieces for Jasmin and Yuki. Without expressing the emotions of these characters, the author has conveyed a lot because the reader is prompted to think.

Thank you, Simon Element, MarySue Rucci Books, for this book.

CW: Infidelity, Spying, SA, graphic description of child abuse, betrayal, starvation, death

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Blood, Sexual violence, Bullying, Violence, War, Kidnapping, Confinement, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Classism, Racial slurs, Infidelity, Animal death, Racism, Hate crime, Rape, Grief, Death, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation