Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

25 reviews

aligmich's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.5

This was a fascinating concept, and I’m still going to be thinking about it for a while. It’s harrowing - but not entirely out of the realm of possibility which is the scary bit. Lev is the most engaging character by far, and I hope they explore him more. Also did NOT buy the romance, I hope Risa gets more to do next time….

All in all, I enjoyed it - but it’s certainly not perfect by any sense. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Medical content, Abortion, and Abandonment

Moderate: Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

oliverreeds's review against another edition

dark hopeful tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

snazz07's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Blood, Kidnapping, Abortion, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Cursing, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

_mims_'s review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

3.5

Great dystopian  fiction is great because the reader can see the literary dystopias reflected in our current society. This is certainly not the case with Unwind. The premise was  absurd. A civil war over abortion? It felt a little too silly. I picked up the book, fully prepared to hate it. And I did- at first. However, Shusterman managed to turn his absurd premise into something surprisingly readable. It certainly isn’t Nobel prize worthy, but it was easy entertainment. Would have liked to see more focus on the characters rather than just plot progression. I thought the concept of the tithe was very interesting and would have loved to see more of Lev in the book. Overall, if you just want to turn your brain off for a few hours and enjoy some interesting plot twists, this is a good choice.  Felt a little preachy at some points. 

Romance was not fleshed out at all. Shusterman should either have developed it more thoroughly or left it out entirely. However, it wasn’t just the romance that felt hollow. All of the relationships lacked depth. The dynamic between Lev and the other main characters felt particularly nonsensical. </spoiler >

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content and Medical trauma

Moderate: Confinement and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Trafficking, Car accident, and Abortion

cepbreed's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I really love Neal Shusterman, I love the YA dystopia genre and I miss its golden age. Doesn't mean this doesn't hold up today! I really enjoyed this book and finished it in one school day so I think I'll finish the second tomorrow, but I'm interested to see how the series continues, this didn't exactly end in a way that needs continuation. I bet it's a new cast of characters. If that's the case I'm really going to miss the intellect and the impulse. How in the hell did Shusterman manage to sneak a fake-dating trope in a dystopia and why did I love it so much!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Sexual assault, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Gun violence, Blood, and War

anniereads221's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, and Murder

touchegiantsquid's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

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

3.0

The book tries to "both sides" the debate between pro and anti choice laws for the sake of thrills. I would not say it handled that well.

It's hard to take this dystopia seriously since it seems to lack any theory of how politics works. It's just "what if a bunch of terrible things happened? Wouldn't that be terrible?" It doesn't seem to have anything to say about the debate, it just wants to use it to give the appearance of synthesis at the conclusion.

The craft of the conclusion was good, which is why I didn't rate the book lower.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

winters_night's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring sad tense fast-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? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Police brutality and Abortion

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

martereadsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, and War

alvyv's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful inspiring 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: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

Moderate: Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment