Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

11 reviews

abarnakwn_ourcolourfulpages's review against another edition

I was really looking forward to reading this book, as I've loved Nghi Vo's Singing Hills Cycle. Unfortunately, I think the content of this particular novel is a bit too disturbing/triggering for me in the current head space I'm in. I will definitely be revisiting at a better time!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Racism, Alcohol, Child abuse, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

uranaishi's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Sexual content

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Racism, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, and Bullying

Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Trafficking, Rape, Sexual assault, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mental illness, Child death, Vomit, War, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Murder, Outing, and Pregnancy

peggymay's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Abortion, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Sexual content, Body horror, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Murder, Homophobia, Misogyny, Classism, Sexual assault, Violence, Drug use, Racism, Sexism, Addiction, Cultural appropriation, and Body shaming

dewugging's review

dark medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Blood, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Death of parent, Death, and Slavery

lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition

mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

If I had read this book as a teenager, I would have been obsessed with it.  There are monsters straight out of fairy tales and myths, classic Old Hollywood stories, love stories, different kinds of magic.... Unfortunately, as an adult, it felt a bit lacking for me, even though I did enjoy it.  This is supposedly a few different novella ideas brought together, and that makes sense to me.  There is a lot going on here.  In spite of that, I did want a bit MORE, more explanations, more world building, more stakes to this world.  The magic systems are vague and just mentioned without deeper explanations, and people can become immortal by becoming actual stars in the sky, but they are still alive?  I get the metaphor about immortality and fame, but my literal brain wants to know how that WORKS.  :) The main character basically just gets whatever she wants and doesn't grow much.  There is great LGBTQ rep, although the characters sadly have to keep who they are quiet.  The main character is a child of Chinese immigrants, and has to deal with racism, as well, and she fights back against being the stereotypical roles.  She is called a monster, I guess because of her drive and cold-nature in going after what she wants.  I was kind of hoping she would become a true monster and maybe strike some blows against the patriarchy.  I would not call this a horror by any stretch of the imagination, more like a beautiful but unsettling dream.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Mental illness, Outing, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Minor: Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Cultural appropriation, Rape, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Outing, and Xenophobia

leanne_miron's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Homophobia, Domestic abuse, and Death

Minor: Abortion, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

smalika's review

dark emotional inspiring medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Body horror, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Violence

Minor: Death and Addiction

lxshre's review

adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-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? Yes

4.25

The author is truly excellent at weaving magical realism into her worlds in the most natural of ways and it's creative, so I enjoyed it. That said, I wasn't really into the plot of this and it was a bit too scattered for me even to summarize what it really was. But I tend to like more plot-based fiction in general. As someone who identifies in the AAPI community this did have some very quotable moments, but I wanted it to be more in some way. I did feel the same way about Chosen and the Beautiful,  so maybe the ambiguity is her thing.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse and Abortion

mandkips's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Racism, and Sexism

Moderate: Addiction and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault

enasbookshelves's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Full disclosure: I took nearly two weeks to finish this book. In my defense, elections happened in my country. But apart from that, while films are meant to be consumed in one sitting, this magnificent book about what it takes to be in film is something to be chewed slowly and thoughtfully, for maximum impact. And wow, did it impact me! It’s only my second time reading anything by Nghi Vo, but her prose always seems to take the humble Declarative Sentence to a higher plane.

Every layer in Siren Queen is rich and adds value to the larger story; every fantasy element a brilliant, uncanny metaphor. In a world where it is cishet white men and their stories that are granted immortality, Nghi Vo empowers that which is rarely told, if told at all, but without pretending that the world has magically turned kinder towards everything that is not straight, white, or male. My only actual complaint is that there were too many transitory characters — mostly actors whom the main character meets once, or whose projects are mentioned in passing then are never heard from again — that made me glad that e-readers come with highlight and bookmark functions. Then again, is Hollywood not full of short-lived, meteoric careers behind, around, and in front of the camera?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Gore, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Addiction

Minor: Fire/Fire injury