Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Power by Naomi Alderman

93 reviews

thewitchsreads's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

Had hoge verwachtingen, maar die werden niet helemaal waargemaakt. Ik had verwacht dat wanneer vrouwen sterker zouden worden dan mannen, zij op een heel andere manier met die macht om zouden gaan dan in het boek werd beschreven. Ik heb erg lang over het boek gedaan, omdat het me in het begin niet kon vasthouden. De tweede helft ging al een stuk beter, maar ben toch niet helemaal erover uit wat ik hier nou van vond.
Also, check de trigger warnings, het werd me soms iets té graphic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Blood, Physical abuse, Genocide, Violence, War, Death, Torture, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Sexual violence, and Gore

dangrl888's review

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Rape, Sexual violence, and Body horror

shermansays'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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, War, and Sexual content

Moderate: Blood and Child abuse

Minor: Ableism, Xenophobia, Slavery, Alcohol, Trafficking, and Vomit

gracekatreads's review

challenging dark fast-paced

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

2.75

While the first half of this book and the premise are really strong and thoughtful, the analysis of gender and it’s affects in the second half is poorly thought out—the overall effect ends up being very gender essentialist and conservative. Scenes of graphic sexual violence are unnecessary and in detail every time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Medical trauma, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Violence, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, and Body horror

readingrainbowroad's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

3.5

This is a book I find hard to rate and review because it invokes so much thought about really important things around gender identity, society and power structures. However, it does so by forcing you to confront a lot of uncomfortable events. You'll be thinking about power for a long time after finishing it. This book is worth the read, but it doesn't hold back. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Drug abuse, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

bethanie_l's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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

4.0

Wasn't sure about this one as I'm slightly apprehensive about the gender switch society concept. It can often be weaponized to say "see? You're just as bad as men so there's no point in feminism." This was not that. It felt more like... like pointing out that these things that are so horrific to see crop up are things that already happen to women in real life. And I can't deny that sometimes I long for men to understand what it's like to be afraid to go jogging at night, that you can't wear headphones because an attacker could sneak up, you can't wear your hair in a ponytail because they could use it to grab you, you can't run in secluded areas because they could abduct you in seconds. The first half is satisfying in this way, seeing women stand up for themselves and seeing men not feel in control anymore. It devolves into horror, but again nothing more than what already happens to women. Is that an excuse? Of course not. But it should be a wake up call to any men who read it. I wonder if they'll even understand that this book is a mirror, even though towards the end I feel like we're being bashed over the head with it. It made me cry deep sobs and I love it for that. 

Issues: very cishet view of gender and sexuality. There's no room for trans characters. One intersex character, but it doesn't go into the gender issues really. Felt like the

voice in Allie's head being Samuel from the Bible

was a very weird choice. And the graphic rape scenes were a bit much, even knowing the framing device of them. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Body horror, Medical trauma, Murder, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, Blood, War, Misogyny, Trafficking, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Child death, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail

lthumphrey's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Death, Cursing, Child death, War, Trafficking, Murder, Gun violence, Child abuse, Torture, Blood, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Rape, and Hate crime

Moderate: Misogyny, Medical content, Genocide, Confinement, Alcohol, and Death of parent

Minor: Pedophilia

miaaa_lenaaa's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense 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

5.0

Fucking 10/10
‘Its like shes died but shes still too alive to notice.’
‘

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, War, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Gun violence, Sexism, Trafficking, Violence, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Slavery

lovelymisanthrope's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.5

I have had this book on my radar for over a year now, but I was initially interested because this book is set in a world where women have more power than men. I have also always enjoyed dystopian-style books, so I was excited to try an adult dystopian.
"The Power" follows a handful of different points of view in a near future world in which women have suddenly developed this electric power. Because of this power, women take charge and start ruling the world. But, with great power some women are finding it difficult to not become corrupted.
For a book about a physical power that can kill someone almost instantly, I thought this book was paced very slowly. It took me so long to get into the story, and it really hindered my enjoyment. While I was reading this story, I thought it was so ludicrous to see that the women were corrupted by power and the men were disgruntled by their new place in the world, but I think that is the point. Whether we like it or not, women are treated as lesser in every aspect of life in our world, and the men do not want to give up the power they wield because they are afraid of the competition and inferiority that may be brought on by having women in power. When you read that women are in charge and causing all of this chaos, it sounds crazy, and I think that says way more about our society than it should.
I did enjoy that one of the perspectives we got was from a male journalist. He was such a great ally to women and did not seek to take their power away. He appeared like a neutral third party and was able to report without bias on the chaos that inevitably ensued because of this power.
Overall, I enjoyed what this book was trying to do, and the message it was trying to convey, but for me it just fell short kind of short in some ways. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Death, Child death, Murder, Torture, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Stalking, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Hate crime

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, War, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Torture, Sexual content, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Death, Cursing, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Hate crime, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Body horror

Minor: Self harm, Bullying, Child death, Abortion, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Slavery, and Suicide