Reviews tagging 'Death'

Burning Roses by S.L. Huang

16 reviews

ehmannky's review

emotional 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

4.5

A retelling of Red Riding Hood and Hu Yi that goes together so well. I had no idea that this novella was the third in a series, but I don't think you actually need to have any background knowledge before you read it. It's all about redemption and the harm we can cause to our families and if it's possible to fix it. Beautifully written. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Death, Gun violence, and Violence

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Death, Abandonment, Murder, and Animal death

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Hate crime

Minor: Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Pedophilia, and Trafficking

bluedilly's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Gun violence, Child death, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Blood, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Pregnancy

indydc's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Murder, Death of parent, Animal death, and Death

Moderate: Grief and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Toxic friendship and Toxic relationship

dokushoka's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Abandonment, and Death

Moderate: Toxic friendship

Minor: Transphobia

galexy_brain's review

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood and Abandonment

Minor: Violence, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Transphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Grief, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship

inamerata's review

adventurous hopeful reflective

• 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

3.0

A solid novella. It wasn't my favorite, but it mostly does what it sets out to do, and it was fun to read over the Mid-Autumn Festival.

I loved the imagery and it's refreshing to read about two older sapphic women having fantastic adventures. However, that didn't outweigh the kind of typical, dark/edgy folktale retelling elements, and I was frustrated at how often sweeping generalizations cropped up in a story about nuance and life not being so simple. Still, the ending was neat.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse

icarusreads's review

adventurous emotional reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Child abuse

laurareads87's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.25

I picked up Burning Roses having enjoyed some of S.L. Huang's other work; I didn't realize when I bought it that there are two short stories that precede this novella -- I went straight for this novella anyway, and it read well as a standalone.  I was also unfamiliar with the stories of Huo Yi prior to reading this novella and did not find that this impacted my enjoyment at all, though I'm sure I would've picked up on more had I been more familiar and of course cannot comment on the similarities (or not) of this Huo Yi with the fairytale depictions.
<i>Burning Roses</i> follows two fairytale figures, Huo Yi (a very skilled archer) and Rosa (Red Riding Hood).  Older women, both have complex pasts which are slowly revealed over the course of the story as they go together on a quest to stop sunbirds who are torching and destroying villages.  There are many references to fairytales here, but at its heart this is a story about guilt, regret, loss, forgiveness, and redemption.  There is so much I appreciate about this story -- the representation of older queer women, the way so many themes come together in a story that feels just the right length, the refusal to simplify difficult dynamics for the sake of a tidy ending, the subtlety.  When I want feminist retellings... this is what I want.  Definitely recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Violence and Gun violence

Minor: Transphobia

hanz's review

adventurous reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse