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218 reviews

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

The Remarried Empress, Season 1 by HereLee, Alphatart

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I chose this for the out-of-your-comfort-zone challenge prompt as part of the Storygraph Onboarding Challenge. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it given the fact that I am only supportive of elected officials as opposed to inherited titles and constitutional monarchies. I'm glad I gave this story a chance.

Content Warnings

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappé

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challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

4.75

I can't put into words how disturbed I am. I just don't think anything I could say would suffice. These quotes really epitomise just how inhumanely these innocent civilians were treated and still are treated to this day.

"Since the beginning of the Intifada in September 2000 over 2,500 children have been arrested."

Official Declaration by the Arab League, 9 January 2006
I also just learned that the Israeli military has arrested over 13,000 minors between 2000 and 2024. Given what I've been reading, I sincerely doubt that these children are treated well. To grow up in an open air prison and then to suffer from further unlawful detainment, I cannot even begin to imagine what the long-term effects are.

"The biological unit he (Ephrahim Katzir) led together with his brother Aharon started working seriously in February. Its main objective was to create a weapon that could blind people. . . Katzir suggested using it on human beings."

This quote in particular reminded me of experiments conducted in Nazi concentration camps and within Unit 731.

"The Jewish soldiers who took part in the massacre also reported horrific scenes: babies whose skulls were cracked open, women raped or burned alive."

this quote describes the Massacre in Dawayima.
Innocent babies and children oppressed under such a horrific regime that they are unable to survive it.

The final quote which is the very worst of all, recounts the rape, torture and murder of an innocent twelve year old child.

"On 12 August 1949, a platoon of soldiers in the Negev. . . captured a twelve-year-old Palestinian girl and locked her up for the night in their military base near the Kibbutz. For the next few days she became the platoon's sex slave as the soldiers shaved her head, gang-raped her and in the end murdered her. . . On 29 October 2003, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz publicised the story based on the testimonies of the rapists: twenty two soldiers had taken part in the barbaric torture and execution of the girl."

What I've read over the last few days has turned my stomach. These people and their descendants get to live a life of privilege, serving little to no time for their crimes against innocent civilians and it is high time that justice is served. Free Palestine.

Content Warnings