Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

145 reviews

vcatterson'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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Emotional abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Forced institutionalization

jjokokomo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

This is not a fast read. The world building is immense and complicated. The characters can be difficult but I quickly became invested in them. There are many twists and turns and the author continues to keep the reader guessing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, and War

this story is not linear

juniper_vs_tbr'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? It's complicated

5.0

**PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS**

I've never read a high fantasy book before as they were also so intense with lore drops.

This book doesn't bomb you with lore but breaks it down and does re-explain things from times, which made this a fun read.

I loved the characters and putting together to overarching story. It was brutal, but I still kept reading on.

I have never read a book this long so quickly. No big book has ever been easy to read or this fun.

The world building is so smart, the characters beyond interesting (especially Alabaster) with so much unexpected queer representation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Genocide, Murder, Racial slurs, Violence, Death, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Slavery, War, Trafficking, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, and Kidnapping

aidareads's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad 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

3.75

perhaps it was my brain but i got kinda confused with the narrator thingy. i do think it was super interesting to have multiple "narrators", one of them being 2nd person, but towards the end i got a bit lost with the characters (if you know, you know). still, i hope i like the rest of the trilogy a bit better because the plot is certainly super interesting and relevant!! and i loved the diversity and the queer rep!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Body horror, and Child death

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Cannibalism

lthintz's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Pregnancy, Violence, Grief, and Physical abuse

tangledweb65's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was a challenging book to read, and I found it slightly slow to start, but GOD it was worth it. One of those books you finish and immediately reach for the next in the trilogy. I absolutely admire the style of storytelling she manages to achieve, and how she makes the characters such normal people while being so completely not. Absolutely amazing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, War, Child death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, Death, Classism, Child abuse, Violence, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Torture, Xenophobia, and Trafficking

Moderate: Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Deportation, Medical content, Animal death, Colonisation, Slavery, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Hate crime, Mental illness, and Excrement

epbuckley89's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Child death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Murder, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Excrement, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Bullying, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Rape, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Animal death

Minor: Colonisation, Cursing, Genocide, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

crybabybea's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

Astoundingly inventive world and magic system with a post-apocalyptic flair, morally gray and diverse characters who you can't help but root for, simple yet beautifully descriptive writing, and filled with so much intrigue and mystery that it's hard not to devour the book hundreds of pages at a time. The story is at times weighed down by the mass amount of world-building required to set it up, but information is presented in a fresh and compelling way. The book is told from three perspectives which leads to a dramatic snowball effect into an explosive ending with one of the best cliffhangers I've ever read.

Incredible, incredible first in a truly imaginative series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Rape, Cannibalism, Death, Animal death, Slavery, Torture, Sexual assault, Genocide, Murder, and Grief

krisheiney's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

This book blew me away and made me immediately want to pick up Broken Earth #2. Jemisin expertly builds up a shattered and complex world and left me eager to find out more about its mysteries. Beautifully rendered, with important reflections on our world at its core.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Death

Moderate: Child death

kimco_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book was a a feat of epic literature. The world and character building was phenomenal. I truly have never read such an original science fiction novel in both writing style and story. There is no doubt in my mind the Hugo Award N.K. Jemison received for this series was earned. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Physical abuse, Child death, and Violence