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Reviews tagging 'Violence'
Ölümsüz by Duygu Şahin, M. Ihsan Tatari, Catherynne M. Valente
14 reviews
abominablesnowaro's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Starvationthewordsdevourer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
deathless was one of my most anticipated reads this yr, so it rly rly pains me to give it this rating, making it prolly my most disappointing read of the yr so far. i didnt hate it and the book wasnt in any way bad, but it could've been more. the book's dense and got great and affecting--oft even lyrical--writing; adeptly utilizes its fairytale elements, resulting in an organic fusion of russian fairytale and factual history; original worldbuilding esp for buyan and the territorial war (how even a single leaf, a single rock is divided into the country of life's or death's); it's strangely romantic; and important, thought-provoking themes and msgs that are explored in a complex way.
however, i personally feel that this focus on hammering home the themes might have taken a toll on the story and its ~purely story~ aspect. the book's jam-packed w/ themes and while it's indeed--as a review puts it--bold and subversive, it's also confusing and somehow confoundingly lacking. while marya and koschei def deals w/ themes of love and power, i feel that their scope of story is not expansive enough to deal w/ life and death. the story's partly set in russia during world war ii, led by characters who fight decades long battles, yet a majority of it reads like a domestic drama of an open relationship. i wouldve liked more depiction of the gap between the end of part 2 and start of part 3: what was koschei and marya's relationship like during at least some of the interim 13 yrs? how was marya during her first few battles? a lot went into the start of the leads' relationship, but not enough was illustrated of its everyday meat and subtance. it just feels like a good chunk of the book shows things after they happen, and the few action it shows is not very substantial.
also i dont truly like any of the characters?? not asking for black-and-white characters who are all good or bad, but somehow they're all at least a lil unlikable lol. and after a winding path towards the end, i dont even rly get the ending either, and idk if it's bc im too dumb to understand or if the msg's too obfuscated at that point. this had a lot more potential and im just very sad that it wasnt explored.
however, i personally feel that this focus on hammering home the themes might have taken a toll on the story and its ~purely story~ aspect. the book's jam-packed w/ themes and while it's indeed--as a review puts it--bold and subversive, it's also confusing and somehow confoundingly lacking. while marya and koschei def deals w/ themes of love and power, i feel that their scope of story is not expansive enough to deal w/ life and death. the story's partly set in russia during world war ii, led by characters who fight decades long battles, yet a majority of it reads like a domestic drama of an open relationship. i wouldve liked more depiction of the gap between the end of part 2 and start of part 3: what was koschei and marya's relationship like during at least some of the interim 13 yrs? how was marya during her first few battles? a lot went into the start of the leads' relationship, but not enough was illustrated of its everyday meat and subtance. it just feels like a good chunk of the book shows things after they happen, and the few action it shows is not very substantial.
also i dont truly like any of the characters?? not asking for black-and-white characters who are all good or bad, but somehow they're all at least a lil unlikable lol. and after a winding path towards the end, i dont even rly get the ending either, and idk if it's bc im too dumb to understand or if the msg's too obfuscated at that point. this had a lot more potential and im just very sad that it wasnt explored.
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Stalking
Minor: Child death, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
korpney's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Appreciated the lyrical quality of the writing at times, other times it was frustrating and confusing. Definitely worth reading up on the Russian Revolution and the folktale of Koschei the Deathless before reading.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child death and Blood
untraveledworld's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Violence, and War
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