Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia

11 reviews

shelvesofivy's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Xenophobia, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Pandemic/Epidemic, Grief, and Colonisation

gcrkl's review

adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Self harm

Moderate: Hate crime, Grief, Dysphoria, Colonisation, Death, Racism, Gore, and Religious bigotry

chughes5's review

dark 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Pandemic/Epidemic, Grief, Bullying, Dysphoria, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Body horror, Racism, and War

rorikae's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.25

'The Bruising of Qilwa' by Naseem Jamnia is a thoughtful novella about refugees set in a fantasy world. 
The story centers on Firuz, who has left their homeland to escape the killing of traditional blood magic practitioners like themself. In Qilwa, they meet Kofi, who welcomes them in as a worker in their clinic. But when a disease emerges that leaves bruises on its victims, Firuz makes it their mission to get to the bottom of it, especially since it reminds people of poorly practiced blood magic. 
Jamnia has created an engaging world populated with characters that are easy to care for. This story moves between the careful life of Firuz as they work to create a new life for themself as a refugee as well as a larger overarching plot with the illness that affects the characters. There are a few larger picture pieces that are introduced, especially around how refugees are being treated in this city, that I wish there had been more time to go into. It sounds like this is a standalone but in a world that the author hopes to return to so I hope that some of these larger picture issues are delved into more in-depth in future works. I definitely recommend the audiobook and am looking forward to what this author writes in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Xenophobia, and Grief

idun_aurora's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

A short but impactful read! I do enjoy a fantasy mystery. Great setting, great characters, just beautiful and emotional. The depiction of sibling relationships is touching and genuine, so much so I could almost hear my own baby sisters whining about eggplant in the food at times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Medical trauma, Dysphoria, Bullying, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Abandonment, Grief, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, and Xenophobia

theirgracegrace's review

dark mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

A powerful and heart-wrenching debut from Naseem Jamnia. Firuz is trying to raise their family of refugees from a nearby country under military occupation in the free city of Qilwa. However, to make ends meet, they have to hide their blood magic abilities while working in the one free hospital in the city. As they do, they discover a mysterious plot is rising, and only blood magic could be to blame. An incredible story from a queer-normative world that really speaks to the southwest Asian immigrant experience. The twist is one I did not see coming in the slightest, and the ending gave me hope for the characters' broken world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Genocide, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Self harm, Torture, Body horror, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Racism, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Medical content, War, Bullying, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Police brutality, Classism, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Vomit and Transphobia

pvbobrien's review

dark mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, and Medical content

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

Minor: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Colonisation, and Grief

opossumble's review

emotional hopeful mysterious 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: Dysphoria, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Colonisation, Racism, Violence, and Classism

Minor: Bullying, Hate crime, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Physical abuse

jjjreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Cultural appropriation, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Vomit, Dysphoria, Genocide, Hate crime, Bullying, Child death, Grief, War, Xenophobia, Gore, Death, Blood, Body horror, Self harm, Violence, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Outing, Police brutality, and Racism

thenymphsvoice's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

A quick introduction to a style of story telling I am not used to. 

Which led me to enjoyably never knowing what to expect next in the story.

A very interesting story, that really makes you think about the world as it has been, as it is, and as it might be.

Please take the time to read the post script as well. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Gore, Medical content, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Deportation, Blood, and Racism

The book displays while not endorsing several isms. Finding the delicate line between oppression and oppressor and how easily the sides switch. As well as dealing with some hard feelings that’s trans people experience. All respectfully.