Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Devourers by Indra Das

8 reviews

poisoned_icecream's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Child death, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Rape, Death of parent, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Death, Gore, Excrement, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexism, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Violence

mle11's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Cannibalism, Stalking, Violence, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Animal death, Rape, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Biphobia, Excrement, Homophobia, Vomit, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Kidnapping, and Self harm

Minor: Colonisation and Drug use

bunny_boy's review

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism

Moderate: Rape

I got triggered by the content. I had no idea that the rape survivor guilt soup would be a part of it.

talonsontypewriters's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, Murder, Rape, and Death of parent

Moderate: Kidnapping, Child death, Abandonment, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Sexism, War, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Vomit

Minor: Classism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Colonisation, Abortion, Dysphoria, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, and Racism

Smoking. Urination. Discussion of and explicit descriptions of rape, as well as depiction of aftermath, but no extended scene. Sexual coercion, victim blaming/justification of rape (by character; criticized by others and narrative), discrimination against sex workers. Pregnancy and birth by rape. Decapitation. Metaphorical mentions of bestiality. Sexual relationships in a shapeshifter-unique dynamic compared to but not necessarily equivalent to parent-child dynamics, where one party has sometimes been raised by the other since youth; discussed and alluded to, but not graphically shown on-page.

woweewhoa's review

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

This is a very good book about being alive, and experiencing the world as yourself and the people who imprint on your actions, thoughts, and memories. This is a very contemplative story that definitely has its slow points in the middle of the book, and don't let that discourage you like it almost did me, as the ending is very good and honestly is the reason I like this book so much. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, and Rape

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault, Excrement, Gore, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism

aardwyrm's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

Like all the best horror, weird, gross, kinda horny, never fully explained, rich and dreadful and spooky and gory, gets its claws in and won't let go. Warning: One of the POV characters is a rapist. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, Classism, Rape, Child death, Death, Drug use, Excrement, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, War, Abortion, Animal death, Body horror, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Kidnapping, Stalking, Vomit, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture

incigiru's review

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Vomit, Murder, Gore, Excrement, Cannibalism, Death, Physical abuse, and Cursing

Moderate: Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Body horror

2000sanimeop's review

dark

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

1.5

This was a deeply disappointing, joyless, and honestly gross read. My primary reason for finishing the thing rather than dropping it entirely was that I was compelled to find out what happens. Now, having completed it, I can tell you that it was Not Worth It.

The Good
The writing is competent and has a good flow. I enjoyed the kind of Interview With a Vampire Werewolf that it had going on at first, but as the story went on, it became less effective as a framing device.
 
The Bad
The author's understanding of women appears to be wholly limited to the pain and suffering inflicted upon them by men. That's all there is for women in this joyless book.  Initially, I appreciated the rage that Cyrah feels in response to the constant violence visited upon her, but it's ultimately impotent and meaningless.

Speaking of meaningless, the very first thing I did after finishing this book was google

"Is Indra Das trans?"

, preparing to eat my hat if I was wrong. My hat remains intact and uneaten. I'm baffled at this last-minute swerve, when I genuinely can't recall a single thing that could have foreshadowed it. This aspect of the main character almost feels like it's just there to complement the other bookend character, who actually had potential gender happenings and thoughts within the story. With that said, this second character more or less tells the MC

in the future I will live as a woman, but my mom is the one that will be living, and I will be my mom

. Yikes!

In general, this book is a total slog, despite being on the shorter side. The world Das has created is downright Hobbesian, and I can only read so much of that before I wonder if there is a point to it all. 

The Smelly
This book is obsessed with stank, and not in the way people horny for werewolves usually are. If I had read a print copy of this rather than listen to the audiobook, I genuinely would not have finished it. Why do these characters piss and shit themselves so much?! If you think I am exaggerating, go ahead! Read this accursed thing to prove me wrong (you won't.). By comparison, I do not feel the violence/gore is particularly visceral, and I did not have any issue with that at all. 

In general, it did seem like Das tried to write from an informed perspective, but he really, *really*, missed the mark. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Blood, Rape, and Misogyny