Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed

20 reviews

blacksphinx's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This was described to me as litfic in a highly speculative setting and I agree. Our main character lives in Canada after the world's fascist governments all collapse under the weight of climate change and a wave of pandemics, culminating in a semi-sapient parasitical fungal infection that passes from parents to children. Our protagonist has received an acceptance letter to a university that is supposed to be safe inside a dome, but no one has ever seen it and there's doubts over if it exists. She angsts a lot about if its selfish to abandon her struggling community for this new opportunity, and how much she struggles with fear over her status as one of the infected.   

I have officially lost all my "pretentious" "artsy" cred because I found it excruciatingly slow. You spend the entire time in the mind of someone on the verge of having a panic attack and who dwells on things for a long time. I actually found myself wishing something would happen. I like slow-paced stories! I don't need to feel "connected" or like the characters are "relatable" to enjoy something! But I could not get into this, I was just begging for it to be over... which is hilarious considering it's a novella. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Pedophilia and Medical content

bites_of_books's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I picked this randomly from Libby and it was a great surprise! 

This is set in a future where climate change has completely changed the way that humans live. Focused on a young woman, this book explores the ideas of responsibility for one's self and the duty one owes to family and community. It's a bit of a coming of age story but in a very dark context. 

Please check content warnings for this novella, while short it's quite impactful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Suicide attempt

mar's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Death, Gore, Vomit, Medical content, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Pedophilia

paperbacks_n_frybread's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

Everything about this book is wonderful. Plot. Characters. World building.

The major problem is it being a novella. It needed to be a full length novel. Not because I wanted more (I 💯 do!) but there’s a glaring plot device that’s never wrapped up at the end and it feels unfinished. As a reader I feel a bit cheated with that ending. Huge build up to just…nothing. 

EDIT: I am completely changing my rating as this is the FIRST book and the second comes out in June 2024! I CANNOT stop thinking about about this book so I am ready to *hopefully* get all my questions answered!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Blood, Medical content, and Death of parent

adancewithbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 

Ever since its release I'd heard a slight buzz around this novella. I wasn't quite sure if this was going to be one for me as dystopia so very often can be a miss for me. But I was pleasantly surprised and I ended up really liking it. 

We meet Reid just as she has received her invite to a further education, a mission. She lives in an old university with her mom and a whole community. This invite means she has to leave everyone behind. There is even the question if it is even real. It is a hard decision, and where some congratulate her, others show their dislike. 

What I loved about this book was how it showed how the community worked, the explanations and the idea behind the ending of our known world. And in a way it makes a lot of sense. The resources of our planet isn't going to last forever and we certainly don't have a solution for that yet. Then there is the CAD which adds a whole other dimension to their troubles. Its not bad enough that they might starve or not have enough water or the sand storms. The CAD can kill them. 

But mostly what I really liked about this book were the feels. The conflict Reid had about whether or not to go. The grief for her fathers loss, the grief for having the disease of CAD, the duty she feels towards her mother and the community. The guilt that this decision brings with it. It is a very well written story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Gore

Animal Hunting

lucystolethesky's review against another edition

hopeful 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

raptorq's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Blood and Suicide attempt

Minor: Vomit and Medical content

hanz's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt

talonsontypewriters's review

dark reflective medium-paced

• 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

3.0

Theoretically super interesting setting and contemplation on more mundane post-apocalyptic life and bodily autonomy, but unfortunately pretty underdeveloped in practice -- definitely feel like the concepts would fit better in a longer work with more fleshed out characters and relationships.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abortion, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Parasitic infection.

florecita_lectora's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Confinement, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting