Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

72 reviews

bersblue's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

4.75

I forgive Jemisin for the sex scenes (personally I don't like them, but here they are well written), but I will never forgive this ending. I'm in tears. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cannibalism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Body horror, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Violence, War, Pregnancy, and Torture

buffy87's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

3.5

Writing: good, intense world building, kept my interest, a lot of interesting ways to describe things 

Content: complicated, I needed to take notes. Multilayered, you learn as you go what's happening, a fantasy with heavy science element, very long intro but I enjoy the MC.

Asexual: two explicit sex scenes, casual mention of sex, not a lot of physical intimacy 

Recc: higher literacy levels, HS+ but some jr high kids could read it if advanced,

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Death, War, Child death, Genocide, Slavery, Body horror, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts

tiffanykw's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Animal death, Classism, Genocide, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse

cupofnoodilies's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious fast-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? No

5.0

WHAT

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Genocide, and Body horror

Minor: Cannibalism

chthonicgod'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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Grief, Sexual content, Death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, and Murder

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Rape, Child abuse, and Pregnancy

cookiecat73's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Child death, Blood, Grief, and Sexual content

Moderate: Transphobia, Genocide, Bullying, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Gore, Vomit, Animal death, Body horror, Racism, and Pregnancy

Minor: Slavery, Dysphoria, and Confinement

drips's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

so good

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Child death, Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Sexism, Rape, Genocide, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Hate crime, Grief, Death, Cursing, Colonisation, and Sexual content

abitbetterbooks's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated

5.0

I’m so sad I waited so long to read this book. I know it’s won countless awards and it is deserving of every single one. 

I think there are a few things that this book does really, really well. The world-building is incredible. It offers complex geography, local politics, history of empire, and social class structure, a “magic” system, as well as noting that this known history is just one of many histories of the land. It’s absolutely brilliant, but then it’s paired with stunning character work. Damaya, Syenite, and Essun all share different perspectives throughout the narrative and the pieces these 3 stories slot together illustrate how much you can root for a character, be frustrated by them, be angry at and for them, the parallels between fear, anger, and grief. 

One thing I really loved about this apocalypse story is that it’s not a stereotypical dystopia where a teenage chosen one with powers has to save the day. As we follow Essun, she’s a woman in her mid-late 30s, she’s a mother, and she’s not trying to save the day; she’s just trying to survive. She’s not a “good guy”— she’s actually been the bad guy and has been told she’s the bad guy, subhuman, her entire life, and that her powers are not a magical gift, but a curse. It’s also casually queer in a way that surprised me for a fantasy book in 2015 (I know that’s not THAT long ago but still) and the openness of relationship & parenting structures. It’s not bound by our conceptions of patriarchy and family and I absolutely love that. 

This book is genre defying and genre defining. It’s everything fantasy can and should be. I cannot wait to start the Obelisk Gate! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Grief, Murder, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Genocide

Minor: War and Cannibalism

bookslumper's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Body horror, Police brutality, Confinement, Racial slurs, Torture, Child abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Excrement, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, and Genocide

brycestevenwilley's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

Interesting journey, the worldbuilding is very well integrated, and the rules don't feel like they're in flux as much as you, the reader, and ghe characters themselves are finding out the limits and mysteries.

I always forget that there's an appendix in the back, would have helped the first 75 pages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Child death, Classism, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Genocide

Moderate: Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Hate crime, Violence, Racial slurs, and Torture