Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan

18 reviews

scifi_rat's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Infidelity, Violence, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Confinement, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Death, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Racism, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Child death, Classism, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

Minor: Religious bigotry, Torture, Abandonment, and Excrement

stefanieunison's review against another edition

emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, War, and Child abuse

Moderate: Child death and Death of parent

bowbeforeloki's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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

4.0

This book was so emotionally driven.  I couldn't put it down but it broke my heart

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Gore, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Murder, Pedophilia, Genocide, Child death, Colonisation, Addiction, Classism, Mental illness, Racism, Trafficking, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Medical content, Rape, War, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Toxic relationship

karlzlee's review

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Child death, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Death, Alcoholism, Violence, War, and Sexual violence

fkshg8465's review

emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Just barely a three. Wanted to like it more but I probably would’ve been better off DNFing it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Alcoholism, Confinement, Colonisation, Alcohol, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Murder, Child abuse, and Blood

craftyanty's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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

4.25

This book is a heavy read... lots of triggers warnings needed, but it really is excellent for a debut novel. The characters are well-written, and each of them faces their own personal struggles that come together to make this novel a very emotional read. In fact, this was almost a 5-star rated book for me, but the youngest daughter's character became less believable toward the end. 
 The audiobook narrator, Samantha Tan, was incredible! I will be looking for more books narrated by her to listen to. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Pedophilia, Rape, War, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Confinement, Grief, Infidelity, Classism, Vomit, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Death, and Trafficking

Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Addiction, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Child abuse

ailiscr32's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Sexual assault, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, War, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Child death, and Violence

Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racial slurs, Bullying, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Racism

stone_stupas's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Torture, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Colonisation

Moderate: Blood and Child death

lizzyreadz's review

challenging dark emotional informative 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

3.0

Vanessa Chens’s debut novel is a moving and confident work of historical fiction that I don’t know much about. Chen’s perspective is an important one that brings to life a part of history through the story of a family’s tragic journey. Colonization, power, and agonizing choices create the spirit of rebellion and resistance but without true redemption. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, War, Violence, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, and Torture

Moderate: Infidelity, Vomit, Child death, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Grief, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, and Sexual assault

thrillofthepage's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.0

The Storm We Made is a beautifully written, yet heartbreaking historical fiction novel that takes place in the mid 1930s through the end of WWII in Malaya (present day Malaysia). The dual timelines offer a slow unfolding of the way decisions can impact lives for years. The multi-POVs of Cecily, Able, Jujube, and Jasmine provide an inside and unfiltered look into what life was like during both the British and Japanese occupation.  Vanessa Chan fully immerses her readers by writing about the devastation of colonization, occupation, and the horrors that come with it.  I was left in tears realizing the tragic full circle of our title, The Storm We Made. This book and its characters will stay with me for a long time. Please check TWs.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Slavery, Physical abuse, Rape, Classism, Colonisation, Violence, Death, Child death, and Confinement

Moderate: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Deportation, Grief, Torture, Alcohol, Infidelity, Child abuse, and Racial slurs

Minor: Adult/minor relationship