Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia

56 reviews

cakehatwombat's review

fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Xenophobia

The mc uses blood magic and there are illnesses w/a lot of blood, so if you are uncomfortable w/blood maybe sit this one out.

larbster90's review

adventurous hopeful sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Dysphoria, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia

Minor: Colonisation, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Racism, and Terminal illness

smellymiche's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia and Blood

mlfey's review

fast-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

3.0

Good freshman effort, and has some great ideas, but suffers from trying to encompass too many concepts and themes for its short lenghth.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia and Blood

gardens_and_dragons's review

mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

2.5 rounded up because it’s a debut that had a lot of promise. 

I did like the magic system, which was based on blood magic. I also enjoyed the way that pronouns and transitioning was normalized in their world, as well as asexuality, in a queernormative society. The second half of the book picks up on the actual plot and finding out more about the mysterious Illness plaguing the city. 

There are definitely some things that could have been helped by an editor. It felt like a lot of the action happens off screen and between sections/chapters in the beginning part of the book. For example: We are constantly being told how Firuz knows a character but not shown their relationship developing on the page first. We skip over them practicing at the clinic on the early days, earning money and moving their family away from the slums, etc. 

Also, the explanation of the complex sociopolitical history of this world came in very late into the story, so some world building felt rushed or missing until hindsight. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content and Medical trauma

Moderate: Religious bigotry and Xenophobia

buttermellow's review

informative mysterious 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? No

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Medical content, Blood, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Bullying, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Vomit

lovealwaysadi's review

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Dysphoria, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Xenophobia, Genocide, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Physical abuse and Violence

silentquercus's review

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Child death, Hate crime, Medical content, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Terminal illness

Minor: Genocide

avisreadsandreads's review

challenging dark mysterious 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Child death, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Confinement, Colonisation, Self harm, Vomit, Dysphoria, and Torture

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

lunacurlypaws's review

challenging 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Medical content

Moderate: Xenophobia