Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Perishing by Natashia Deón

4 reviews

nehaanna's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I’m not entirely sure what this book is attempting to accomplish. This is literary fiction with a speculative aspect and a fantasy-esque twist that fails to make any sense until the last 50 pages and is so poorly strung together. This book fails to draw the reader in, preferring to use complicated time jumps, stream of consciousness type writing, and sloppy philosophical waxing to make some point. Sprinkled along the way are references to historical injustices towards minority populations with reference to recent historical events of the 2020s. However, the social commentary is poorly done in my opinion. Nothing in this book seems to be executed well, everything falls abysmally short of the author’s well-meaning intentions for what this book could have been. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

greybritton's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.5

This is a phenomenal book — one I quite literally couldn’t put down. I expected it to be more fantastical, but (despite the sort of magic realism inherent in the premise) it is deeply rooted in reality. It is an unyielding book that boldly shines a light on the shameful, fractured history of America; and it is sure to shatter the white fragility of any reader. It is committed to themes of identity, grief, and justice, which are universal, but focused in on the Black experience in a truly heartfelt, nuanced, powerful way. The book’s exploration of friendship and self-love is truly remarkable. I believe it is an important, enlightening, moving read for anyone of any background. And I encourage you to approach it without expectation; only with an open mind and heart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Child death and Car accident

Minor: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, and Death of parent

lovealwaysadi's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Slavery, Medical content, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail