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peachani's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Graphic: Death of parent, Trafficking, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Murder, Sexual content, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Body horror, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Trafficking, Cannibalism, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug use, Rape, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
Minor: Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Deportation, Kidnapping, Vomit, Child death, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Cultural appropriation, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Cancer, Confinement, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Transphobia
caidyn's review
Graphic: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Misogyny
poisoned_icecream's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Sexual assault, Death, Drug use, Infertility, Car accident, and Gore
Moderate: Pregnancy, Incest, and Miscarriage
careinthelibrary's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Violence, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Drug use, Alcohol, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Body horror, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Trafficking
planet_taffy's review
- 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
It terms of the sci-fi elements, Tsamaase's future Botswana is also full of layers from artificial immortality through "body-hopping" to the many tools of surveillance and control giving us the dynamic of second class citizens through "microchipped people". Xe is pretty good about explaining new technologies each time they come up so that, by the time they're super important to the plot, you're quite familiar with them.
All in all it's a rewarding read, even if the verbiage is a bit hard to get through on the first pass. Nothing in the book is a throwaway, making the ending one of the most satisfying I've read. My only complaint is that I wish less scenes had taken place in the car.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Misogyny, Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Blood, Death, Sexism, Death of parent, Violence, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Miscarriage, and Child death
Minor: Kidnapping and Pregnancy
These are pulled from the frontmatter of the book. Sensitive topics are used with purpose, but there is quite a bit of gore & body horror.mals_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
if you like a more complicated plot, this is definitely for you. the book takes a turn about a quarter of the way in, turning from pure Afrofuturist sci-fi into a dystopian psychological thriller and a race against time.
i think Tlotlo Tsamaase accomplished quite a feat and i really adored her main character Nelah; she was a fighter, and i think the author did an amazing job making her both complex and so, so understandable.
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Racism
Moderate: Violence, Rape, Pregnancy, Murder, and Medical trauma
Minor: Incest
lattelibrarian's review
- 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? Yes
4.5
Nelah lives in a world where you can live for nearly forever: your consciousness--though you may not remember previous lives--can be uploaded into bodies of people who have revoked their rights, or, as we discover, into bodies of people who have been trafficked for this very purpose. She's growing her baby in a lab, her husband grows increasingly suspicious, her award-winning work's money dries up, and her lover continues trying to convince her he loves her--despite his father being one of the most felonious men out there. When she accidentally hits a young woman one night in a drug-fueled bender with her lover, she decides to bury the body. After all, her microchip didn't paralyze her. But while she reckons with the guilt, she realizes that the young woman is haunting her in a very real way. In trying to stop this haunting, she uncovers a conspiracy that only an elite few are privy to and she wonders how to dismantle it all.
So, based on the above, this is clearly a complex novel. Don't forget, of course, all the world-building required and mentions of racism and sexism. But it's a genre- and gender-defying book that begs the questions: What is family? Who are we, really? How is justice meted out?
A riveting and impressive debut.
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicide, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Murder, Body horror, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Infertility, and Drug use
Minor: Incest
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Kidnapping, Sexism, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Child death, Cursing, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Blood, Classism, Car accident, Alcohol, Stalking, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Murder, Rape, Torture, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Police brutality, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Transphobia, Incest, Ableism, and Homophobia