Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Vox by Christina Dalcher

11 reviews

miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This was very much just a handmaids tale retelling

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Self harm, Blood, Gun violence, Medical content, and Murder

jen1804's review against another edition

dark slow-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

1.5

I was disappointed with this book. The author sets up such an interesting concept for a story which could be action packed and tense but instead follows the most boring narrative ever. The characters themselves are not likeable and for a book about female oppression it is frustrating to see that the one who saves the day is not our female main character but instead the two men in her life. Fundamentally Jean actually does nothing of value during this story and may as well have not been part of it.
Add to this the odd writing style flicking between past and present with no help from the formatting, plus the medical jargon, and you find the book being inherently confusing for no good reason.
Satisfactory ending? No.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Murder, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Torture

Minor: Genocide

gemma7's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

4 Stars is probably a bit of a stretch but it is what it is.

I was really enjoying the book but the ending was not IT!

Why is everything told and not shown?

Stevens rescue, Del's staged arrest, Poe working undercover, more details on the resistance

These things were important to the story yet we never know how they happen.
Some things were too convenient to be true 

all the right people just happened to be part of the resistance, Lin and Jackie kept trapped in the same building Jean was working in

 

Also, Olivia was at Patrick's funeral? Surely she couldn't have survived what happened to her?? Unless it was her one handed ghost.

 

Still quite impressive for a debut novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Suicide, Medical content, Death, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, and Misogyny

Moderate: Pregnancy and Homophobia

Minor: Abortion, Blood, Self harm, and Sexual content

abbypeters's review

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism

Moderate: Gore and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Violence, Homophobia, Self harm, and Sexual content

cyrusk12's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

A must read. Christina Dalcher shows the importance of always standing up and speaking out. How quickly things can take a turn for the worse and the power of women. Such a well written and page turning novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Violence

sadiaa's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

Pros
Interesting oremise - reminiscent of the handmaids tale
Loved the short chapters
Was fast paced, read it in a day

Cons
Second half of the book was lacking, not sure I understood the ending

so Patrick saves the day, but all we know is that he went into the building and ran out as the building was being locked down and was shot by a rooftop sniper but I'm confused on what Patrick actually did.

 
Also I know this is based on jeans story, but I would've liked to have known more about Patrick, his perspective

working for the administration whilst also being a part of the resistance, trying to bring them down

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Blood

nila's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Torture, Homophobia, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Terminal illness, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide, Transphobia, Slavery, Sexual content, Self harm, Pregnancy, and Murder

Minor: Alcohol and Vomit

harpy_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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

This is a book that I couldn't put down, I devoured it in under 24 hours! I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes dystopian novels that make you really think about what the future may possibly look like if the government gains enough power. I'll likely read it again in the future!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Violence, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, and Confinement

Moderate: Sexual content

stormwise's review against another edition

tense

2.0

I was very excited for this book - I'm obsessed with language and linguistics - but the execution...left much to be desired. 

My biggest gripe with this book was the pacing. With 326 pages split into 80 chapters, the narrative felt very choppy - this was occasionally effective when moving between the present and flashbacks, but overall it just made it harder to follow the story, especially as the plot picked up. Speaking of the plot, the ending was an absolute mess. The story fizzled out in a confusing collection of scenes that we are mostly told about rather than shown, in which

a character is dramatically killed off - conveniently fixing a romance plot point.

I have certain expectations of contemporary social dystopian novels, especially those aimed at adults. One of those expectations is a certain degree of Intersectionality. Dalcher includes gay and lesbian (side) characters and examines what happens to them under the Pure regime, but fails to include trans people - which I would be more forgiving of if she hadn't chosen to have her protagonist use the acronym 'LGBTQIA'. If you're just going to focus on the L and G, why even mention the rest? 
 I was annoyed further by the fact that Dalcher is clearly aware of the issue of intersectionality - halfway through the book,

the protagonist meets a black woman who predicts that she and her mixed race marriage will be treated more harshly by the Pure regime in the future.

"Oh, good," I thought, "we'll see more about how other social groups are treated." It is then never mentioned ever again. 
 I'm not saying that I wanted to see black or trans people (or any other marginalised group) being treated badly in fiction, but it felt disingenuous that a plot device rooted so deeply in Conservative American values was for all intents and purposes merely sexist and homophobic, and not racist and transphobic. 

(I also found the way that Jackie, a lesbian feminist protestor, was presented...a bit icky. "Feminism is good, but if you're too shouty and don't dress nicely then don't be surprised when you're branded as hysterical!" And don't get me started on the love confession flashback. Classic lesbians, amirite?)

Overall this book felt more like an exploration of the science and philosophy of the concept than an actual novel. The first few chapters of world building were very engaging but once the plot kicked it, it all fell apart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Torture, and Sexual content

Minor: Animal cruelty

whatellieread's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

“Her speech is like music, but the lyrics are all wrong.”

I was so intrigued by the concept of this one from the second I saw it in a second-hand bookshop last year. I haven’t read much, if any, dystopian fiction since I was a teenager, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one and it reminded me of how much I love the “what if this *did* happen?” element of reading a dystopian novel. 

There was a lot I loved about this book - particularly the emotion built up throughout, and Christina Dalcher’s writing style. The imagery at some points was INCREDIBLE. I was, however, disappointed with the ending. What felt like a well-paced, thought-out build up culminated in a rushed, somewhat anticlimactic ending. That being said, I did still enjoy the book, and liked the build up enough to still consider this a 4 star read, despite the ending. Additionally, as someone with a degree focussed entirely around the power of language, I was particularly excited by the concept of the book, and really enjoyed the inclusion of some linguistic details.

Overall an enjoyable read and I would definitely read more by this author in future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Abortion

Animal testing,