Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

In The Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland

13 reviews

kaiiyo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

The casualness with which the author writes queer characters and relationships is extremely refreshing. Unique and engaging plot and setting that leaves you wanting to keep reading about this world long after the last page. Beautiful imagery combined with engaging and multifaceted characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Classism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Grief, Slavery, Misogyny, and Rape

gummifrog's review against another edition

dark emotional funny lighthearted 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

This book had a kind of slow start for me, but by the end of it I was literally crying and squealing and hugging the book haha. It's a really fun, vaguely ancient Greece inspired fantasy that focuses on some unique ideas bases around the dead, the afterlife, and magic systems rooted in these systems. 

The plot felt like the author had SUCH a good idea, and then structured all of her mystery reveals around the world building, which is such a great way to organically introduce your otherworldly fantasy. I loved the characters and their diverse identity expression and exploration of self. 

And -- I picked up this book really hoping it would turn out this way -- the romance is poly with ZERO toxicity or jealous involved!! There's even an ace/aro character involved in the polycule! I never gets to see such a thing explicitly represented in romance, SO this was very exciting for me. 

This was a really unique NA fantasy and I highly recommend it for anyone who is looking for something a bit darker and off the beaten path!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny, Transphobia, and Sexism

Minor: Sexual assault and War

anniereads221's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Vomit, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Murder, Grief, Violence, Misogyny, Gore, and Death of parent

maggiegirouard's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Alcohol, Torture, Alcoholism, Sexism, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Murder, Lesbophobia, Emotional abuse, Cannibalism, Suicide, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Grief

jjjreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Violence, Slavery, Stalking, Body horror, Cannibalism, Classism, Confinement, Suicide, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Police brutality, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Child abuse, Acephobia/Arophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Cursing, Sexual content, Vomit, Transphobia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity

Minor: Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault

thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition

4.0

Okay so I really liked this! I love Rovan's spirit and the family she found. <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Sexism, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, Grief, Sexual content, Alcohol, Body horror, and Torture

Minor: Rape

marareading's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

I read this for my traveling book club. Unfortunately I found it very forgettable. The magic system wasn't very unique, and everything was very convenient. The MC was VERY annoying. Not because it is YA and she is young, but because she was ALWAYS making the opposite & wrong choice seemingly to further the story. If she had made ANY choices at all that made sense throughout the book it would have resolved in less than 150 pages. It was infuriating to read. The end wrapped up in such a HEA that it felt wrong and off putting. It was way too... Convenient. 

Rovan is our MC. Her father died when she was young to protect her magic from being discovered. she and her mother lived a quiet life trying to avoid the people that might find her, and take her to the palace to be warded. One day she slips and is discovered and warded. That means she is bound to a spirit/dead man named Ivrilos who is her guardian. She now has to survive this new place, discover who are her friends, enemies, and figure out a way to end this torturous system. Either save herself and escape, or save everyone and find out why this system exists based on clues left by her father. 

I did love all the queer rep in the book. There is found family, and definitely some intrigue when trying to decide who she can and can't trust. In the end though I don't strongly recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, and Sexism

oliverreeds's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.75

honestky it was very predictable which isn’t bad if there’s a twist. if the characters are unique. if i can feel for them and if the plot doesn’t feel contrived. but in this book that wasn’t the case. the writing was good. the world building was okay. the characters were great but the plot was lacking in substance. the magic system didn’t have clear boundaries and laws, at times one person would die in a way and then the next person just wouldn’t? which was confusing. the plot twist didn’t feel like a twist bc it wasn’t hinted that it was possible so instead of emotional it felt silly. the end of the book as well didn’t quite track for me. our main character is brought through hell and back only for everything to just be okay? no mention of the lasting trauma. the fear. the emotional duress these people were under. it was like it never happened. i wanted to be SHOWN the family dynamic as well. i don’t want the narrator to tell me she has a family. i want to come up with that from watching them. anyways. i still enjoyed reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Grief, Rape, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Death, Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Murder, Misogyny, and Sexism

natcat's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-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? Yes

3.0

This book was something of an odd duck. The world building started off fascinating, and then I thought it lagged and also got bizarre. The first two thirds were dark and depressing, and the last third was much more upbeat

(in a murdery spree kind of a way)

and absolutely bonkers. I spent the last third delightedly going

“OH she’s going a-murdering - OH SHE’S TURNED HERSELF INTO A VAMPIRE - HOLY SHIT THEY’RE ALL A MERRY UNDEAD POLYCULE!!!

, it was truly a wild ride. 

I thought the book really missed a trick in not actually engaging with the exploitative scenario it had set up, where Bloodmages are forced to bond to spirits and (as it turns out)

end up getting fed off to sustain the undeath of those spirits, and also that almost everyone who dies in the city either gets eaten by one of these spirits or trapped in a ghastly underworld (long story)

, and instead of really wrestling with that or with Bloodmages oppressing other Bloodmages and perpetuating these abuses, the book boils it down to

this system has been set up by two evil undead kings and they’ve been wrecking everyone’s lives ever since, and things can be fixed by killing them

which I found sort of disappointing as an ending. It was all very exciting and I enjoyed Rovan and co really getting to flip their shit and destroy stuff, but I felt like it left a lot of more interesting questions and consequences completely ignored.

I did love the queerness of it all, and I adored Japha, and loved that all of the main characters were queer

and also the ending for them, personally

. But I did find it overall a little unsatisfying, and I was left with a lot of “but what about - “ and also I think I sympathized with the semi-antagonists

(not the evil undead kings, but the various Skylleans, and the other Bloodmages

a lot more than the book wanted me too. I also didn’t find Ivrilos either compelling or enticing as a love interest, and him becoming all lovey dovey in the last quarter or so made me significantly less interested in his character. Ivrilos the revenge driven asshole kind of worked for me, but that sort of got completely left by the wayside. 

Definitely a curate’s egg of a book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault

radiosilent8's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Transphobia, and Sexism