Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell

11 reviews

spaghettii's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

Space gays ftw

why was the only sex scene in the epilogue smh

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Gun violence, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Suicide, Death, Drug use, Medical trauma, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and War

relin's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I found myself highlighting different lines because they hit so hard emotionally. Facisniating to see a world that is altered in this way and how it impacts the main characters (Tennal and Serit) think and understand the world. The picture it paints is beautiful in the middle of a ton of intergalactic politics of people trying their best. Also has an amazing structure of gender. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Grief, War, Addiction, Confinement, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Medical trauma, Sexual content, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

Minor: Gun violence

There are power dynamics built into the ways that 'magic' (scifi magic anyway) is seen in their world. This includes ideas about people being able to overwrite commands on other people.

imds's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Grief, Torture, War, Violence, Murder, Death of parent, Drug use, and Medical trauma

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

i really enjoyed Everina Maxwell's first book, Winter's Orbit, set in the same universe but entirely separate, so i was of course very excited for their next one. Ocean's Echo went even more for plot and even less for romance than its predecessor, which was already notable for how plot-heavy it was for a book billed as a romance; unfortunately, i enjoyed the plot much less this time around. the whole Power Rangers combine-into-one but with minds ("syncing") became monotonous and laborious. the book could have been 20% shorter, but even if it were, the amount of payoff at the end still wouldn't feel sufficient. basically, not my favorite journey and a very meager reward for my efforts. i still recommend Winter's Orbit though

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing and War

Moderate: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Addiction, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Minor: Drug abuse, Grief, Medical content, Torture, Body horror, Murder, Vomit, Alcohol, Confinement, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Slavery, and Terminal illness

re: ableism: people have genetically-inherited mind-reading/commanding abilities, and mind-readers are stigmatized. re: slavery: discussions of aforementioned mind-readers being conscripted into the military and basically worked to death. re: terminal illness: mcs find themselves in an untenable, rapidly worsening mental state

quirkykayleetam's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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

4.0

I knew I was going to be a sucker for this book the moment that the two main characters were introduced as incredibly different, stubbornly loving little shits.

Tennalhin uses his charisma to cause chaos in the social situations he's forced into as the son of the Senator. Surit is a perfect soldier and serial loophole abuser who uses his perfect memory of army regulations to do The Right Thing...and the exactly opposite of what his superiors wanted him to do.

These two men find themselves forcibly linked in the midst of a much larger conflict involving military coups, alien remnants, government conspiracies, murder attempts, and mass brain washings as they learn to find themselves through loving each other...and maybe saving their galaxy along the way.

Extra points for going beyond one concept of non-binary genders and showing how that has always worked in this world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Drug use, Outing, War, Violence, Terminal illness, and Transphobia

Minor: Abandonment, Death of parent, Sexual content, Vomit, and Gun violence

wilybooklover's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Kidnapping, Confinement, Grief, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Addiction, and Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, War, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual content

dolores_madil's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

4.5

I loved the arguments and need to hold ceremony in this one more then the last book but I definitely had the emotion of please kiss already. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Toxic relationship, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Medical content, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and War

Moderate: Gaslighting

jjjreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Violence, War, Confinement, Medical content, Murder, Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Xenophobia

ailsaod's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

5.0

 I was eagerly anticipating this book for the whole year after reading Winter's Orbit and it was certainly worth the wait! There are undeniable similarities between the two books - two guys get forced together by circumstances, end up in the middle of some kind of military plot and fall in love along the way. The basic character types of the two leads is even somewhat similar. However, despite having similar overall structures I would say that this book is much more complex in both the worldbuilding and the plot. The exact tropes in this book were not so much to my taste so Winter's Orbit remains my ultimate favourite but Maxwell has convinced me that I can enjoy a story heavily featuring weird telepathic bonds and a main character that in real life would be my worst nightmare!
I look forward to seeing what Maxwell writes next!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Confinement, Grief, and War

Minor: Drug use, Addiction, Death of parent, and Torture

caseythereader's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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

Thanks to Tor Books for the free advance copy of this book.

 - OCEAN'S ECHO is basically a sci-fi twist on the fake dating trope, and I adored it. Even more than WINTER'S ORBIT, which I didn't think would be possible.
- Tennal and Surit are perfect opposites-attract pair, and the slow burn between them is marvelous.
- This book expanded on the worldbuilding set up in the OCEAN'S ECHO, uncovering more history and more secrets along the way. Maxwell's detailed universe is masterful, and i hope she writes more books about other parts of it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Medical content, Murder, Violence, War, Blood, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, and Grief