Reviews tagging 'Lesbophobia'

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

3 reviews

tinysierra's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

An amazing epic fantasy with intriguing diverse characters. Wow. Also… mermaids! Giant crows!

There was a mix of character driven and plot driven moments. I felt like there was a lot of slow/medium paced moments where there was more focus on character development/interactions but it did pick up in some places with more plot related aspects. It kept my attention either way. 

The timeline hopped around a bit, jumping back into the past and then forward into the present. Slowly putting the pieces together. The chapters had the date along with experts from in world media (like journal entries), which really added to my immersion.

I liked Xiala and Serapio’s chapters the most. It was nice to see the story through a blind characters perspective. I hope to see more about Xiala’s powers in the next book.

In this book, queer characters are accepted in some of the societies but not others. There are characters that use neopronouns (xe/xir)! Xiala mentions that she takes pleasure with “men, women, and other genders” which I assume means that she’s bi or pan. 

The ending was fast and admittedly a little anticlimactic but I don’t find myself feeling disappointed. I’m curious about where the story is going.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Death, Gore, Addiction, Blood, Violence, Body horror, Classism, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Drug use, Biphobia, Lesbophobia, Confinement, Homophobia, Suicide, and War

Minor: Infidelity, Abandonment, Animal death, Vomit, and Sexual content

drinaiscold's review

adventurous reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Classism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, and Grief

Minor: Ableism, Misogyny, and Murder

sj_54's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-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

4.5

**Content warning for chapter 1 - body modification - it REALLY took me by surprise and nearly put me off the book but I'm glad I stayed**

I love a well-built fantasy world (& a gorgeous map!).
The lore and myths intertwined into the story really helped elucidate the motivations of the characters, and build the world. And the characters themselves were incredibly believable and distinctive. It's been a long time since I've loved a character as much as Xiala - strong, stubborn, and wonderfully flawed.

The story itself was refreshingly creative. Though attempts to overthrow the controlling power abound in fantasy, the incorporation of myth, belief, and a unique kind of magic made it brand-new.

Personally I felt that the foreshadowing that Naranpa wouldn't be on the Sun Rock and so Serapio wouldn't fulfill his destiny was a bit TOO heavy-handed too early before the climax, but maybe that's just me!

As always, my only complaint is that I now have to wait for a sequel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Murder

Moderate: Suicide and Physical abuse

Minor: Lesbophobia and Confinement