Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

22 reviews

rustylasagna's review

reflective relaxing fast-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

4.0

Very beautiful!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide and Sexual content

Minor: Murder

cheye13's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Misogyny, Abandonment, and Death

Moderate: Murder, Grief, Infertility, Pregnancy, Violence, War, and Medical trauma

Minor: Suicide, Sexual content, and Homophobia

ghulsona's review

emotional reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Confinement, Sexism, Misogyny, Xenophobia, and War

Minor: Sexual content

thewordsdevourer's review

adventurous reflective 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? No

2.0

hmmmm...the empress of salt and fortune is def an interesting story w/ a unique--yet somehow thematically appropriate--structure, but i feel like the story's full potential isnt thoroughly explored bc of its execution that leaves quite a lot to be desired. somehow, the narrative feels disjointed and disconnected, yet i dont think it's fair to blame this on the structure, as some sff short stories w/ a similar structure pull it off to a greater effect (namely, the merchant and the alchemists's gate).

many parts of the writing also feel unnecessarily obscure; show-not-tell is def sth to adhere to, but there are times when it feels confusing here, ultimately leaving me unable to fully connect w/ or even comprehend the characters. ig what im tryna say is it doesnt have to be that discombobulated. however, i do like the story's theme of remembrance, and mighttt just check out the sequel simply to see how things continue after that nicely tied up ending. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, War, Violence, Xenophobia, and Sexism

Minor: Sexual content

ablaine's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

How do you a tell a political history from personal objects left behind? How do you read between the lines of official records to see their unofficial purpose? I found this beautiful, folkloric novel difficult to pin down, but I realized there’s something to learn here about how stories are shaped by both what is recorded and what is omitted. 

I first listened to this as an audiobook and was immediately lost. A mystical creature, a gender non-binary cleric and a funeral for an empress were too much for my auditory processing to grasp all in the first few seconds. I’m grateful to my friend for encouraging me to pick it up in written form. 

Each chapter begins with an inventory of significant objects and reading reveals the historical meaning of each within this imagined political landscape. Reading this while grieving a parent and taking stock of objects and memories made this a sad and reflective experience, but I’m grateful for it. 

Thanks for the recommendation, Hannah ❤️

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Murder, and War

Minor: Body horror and Sexual content

talonsontypewriters's review

adventurous emotional reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Grief, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Confinement, and War

Minor: Pregnancy, Violence, Murder, Suicide, Animal death, and Sexual content

lain_darko's review

dark mysterious reflective sad 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: Death, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, and War

Moderate: Confinement, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Slavery

Minor: Suicide

troisha's review

emotional reflective medium-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Xenophobia

Minor: Infertility, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent

sorcha_rosa's review

emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

Beautiful, enthralling, dark. I will not forget this story within stories for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, and Sexual content

Minor: Abandonment, Violence, and Misogyny

nullandvoidlibrary's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Pregnancy, and Sexual content