Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Thirteen Storeys by Jonathan Sims

32 reviews

ladyinverse's review

dark mysterious 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

this book was a slow start but as more mystery piled in, the more intriguing it was. the end was horrifying, constructed beautifully and was very satisfying. 10/10, will be mildly traumatized for the rest of the day.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Body horror

Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Cannibalism, and Murder

Minor: Medical content, Grief, and Kidnapping

gracecrandall's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Classism, Violence, Terminal illness, Colonisation, Murder, Gore, Police brutality, Confinement, Blood, Abandonment, Body horror, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Transphobia, Death of parent, Racism, Deadnaming, Grief, and Deportation

jan_coco_day's review

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

A few too many stories, some better intertwined than others. Very creepy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, Classism, Confinement, and Death

Moderate: Dementia and Drug abuse

This book does NOT contain sex, sexualisation, or sexual violence.

artmajorese's review against another edition

adventurous 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? No

4.0

If you enjoyed the Magnus Archives, you'll probably enjoy this. Jonathan Sims stays true to his brand of spookiness. He also sticks with his characteristic tendency to build slowly on a narrative through small episodic arcs.  

While I enjoyed it, it didn't quite hit 5 stars for me.  It felt both too fast and too slow. By the time I got familiar with a narrator, it changed to a different narrator in a different chapter.  By the last chapter, when all the threads were tied together, I had forgotten which character was which.  Things happened fast for each narrator, but the build of all information together was too slow for my taste, so that when we hit the big reveal it felt rushed rather than foreshadowed and earned.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Minor: Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Trafficking, Classism, Colonisation, Police brutality, Medical trauma, War, Genocide, and Xenophobia

songofthewolfy's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Excellent debut novel by Jonathan Sims! I loved The Magnus Archives, and thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I did feel that the end went a little fast for how much of a build-up there was to the climax. But I found it very enjoyable, and can't wait for more from him!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Murder, Police brutality, Blood, Body horror, Torture, Classism, Mental illness, Alcohol, Colonisation, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, and Cannibalism

Sims uses the listed content warnings to deliver a scathing critique of society. However, he does not shy away from depictions of mental illness, gore, and trauma. Please use discretion.

erakkorapu's review

dark mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cannibalism, Classism, and Death

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Deadnaming

dogearedbooks's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Addiction, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Violence, Cannibalism, and Grief

raphthebard's review

dark mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.75

This book is probably one of the most enjoyable I've read. You find yourself being immersed in Banyan Court and it's uneasy atmosphere, and you find yourself rooting for the residents within the halls. I like how the horror portrays a reality for people living in dire situations, like it portrays the horror of capitalism and exploitation. Personally, I'm doing a re-read and post-noting it a lot, because i found the implementation of these themes to be truly intriguing. My personal favourite chapters were Inbox, A Stubborn Stain, and Round the Clock. Please read this book if you enjoy a set of cool, mysterious stories with enjoyable characters and concepts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Body horror

Moderate: Classism

Will update this when I re-read, but there's generally a lot of body horror and violence (it is Jonny Sims after all.)

hannanni41's review

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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Violence, and Body horror

Moderate: Classism, Confinement, and Blood

Minor: Deadnaming

bsmucker's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

As a fan of The Magnus Archives, I was eager to support Jonny Sims and looking forward to more of his amazing work. That being said, Thirteeen Storeys felt more like a PG-13 rated short story collection written for a broader audience.

The way that Jonny Sims manages to build toward and deliver a payoff through an Agatha Christie-style reveal is one of the most satisfying aspects of his work (again, see The Magnus Archives, which I truly regard as one of the best pieces of fiction I've ever experienced). The ending of this book is no different, but it felt a bit laborious getting there. Each story ended predictably in service of the overarching narrative, but it made the weaker stories feel more like

"Come on, just get to the character receiving their invitation already!"

Again, I cannot express enough admiration for Jonny Sims and his talent, but, even though Thirteen Storeys delivered a satisfying conclusion, the individual stories felt more like chapters out of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Jonny's earned my support because I eagerly anticipate more of his work, but don't expect the same level of suspense, mystery, and horror as The Magnus Archives if you, like me, are looking for anything to fill the void it has left.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Chronic illness, Violence, Addiction, and Cannibalism