Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

6 reviews

keena_faelynn's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Violence, Murder

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Classism

kristakp's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

So, this book being marketed in comparison to Babel did it somewhat of a disservice. It was not as expansive in world building--although with deeply different settings maybe that's not a point that detracts from the overall story. Over all, this book is incredible and challenging and leaves me with a lot to think about in regards to my own culture and society. This is the point of the book, I feel, to make readers think through these things in new ways (or for the first time for some).

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Colonisation

Moderate: Genocide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Gaslighting

Minor: Child death, Chronic illness, Miscarriage, Cannibalism, Medical trauma

tinybluepixel's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional 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: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Infertility, Religious bigotry, Abandonment

dani_reis's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Abandonment

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicide, Torture, Cannibalism, Pregnancy

insomniacsun's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

ML Wang, un nome una certezza: dopo questa lettura e The Sword of Kaigen, si conferma come autrice di cui leggerò i libri senza pensarci due volte.

La mia lettura è iniziata al quanto alla cieca, senza eccessive ricerche riguardo ai grossi temi affrontati dalla storia. Le alte aspettative e il mio eterno cinismo mi hanno reso un po' scettica sullo sviluppo adeguato della storia, soprattutto visti i ritmi del primo arco narrativo molto frettolosi e densi. 
Sono estasiata nel dire avevo completamente torto.

Tiran, città emblema dell'innovazione e cuore pulsante della civiltà, dimostra come il progresso avrà sempre un costo, che inevitabilmente viene pagato con il sangue. La grossa ferita che traspare nel corso della storia non viene sminuita con un misero cerotto di eccessivo eroismo e ingenua positività:

Sciona non diventa magicamente l'emblema dell'altruismo e amata dal popolo, Carra non cresce come bimba indifesa e innocente, e Thomil è chiaramente eroso da un decennio di maltrattamenti.

I personaggi appaiono così vivi e autentici, rispecchiando la realtà in cui vivono attraverso i loro difetti e le loro azioni non sempre sagge. 

Ho apprezzato particolarmente la fine di Sciona: fino all'ultimo ho temuto che il suo sacrificio sarebbe andato a cancellare il peso delle conseguenze delle sue azioni perdonando il fatto che per tutta la sua vita fosse parte del sistema oppressivo, a prescindere dalle difficoltà che ha dovuto affrontare lei stessa.

She had always belonged here among these insatiable men, her brothers in greed and ego. Her only distinction among these mages was that she was a more honest monster than any of them, and she would die an honest mage of Tiran: finely dressed and filthy-souled, taking with arrogance what was not hers to take.

E invece ML Wang decide di colpirmi con questo: una morente Sciona che accetta le sue colpe, che accetta di non essere poter assistere di persona al segno che ha lasciato sul mondo, che accetta di non essere riconosciuta da Tiran come il genio che il suo ego nutriva, che accetta di essere ricordata per aver perseguito la verità solo da Thomil e Carra. 
Come posso non adorare un personaggio del genere.

Si nota come l'autrice rispetti il lettore, in quanto non usa il banale elemento shock rivelando informazioni senza fondamento, e preferisce far fiorire i temi trattati attraverso le esperienze dei personaggi e conversazioni organiche tra di loro(looking at you Babel). 

Mi trattengo dal dare il punteggio pieno per il ritmo troppo veloce iniziale: trovo che alcuni momenti emotivi molto intensi abbiano perso parte del loro impatto per l'eccessivo susseguirsi di avvenimenti. 

Detto questo, blood over bright haven mi ha dato nuova speranza con la ricerca di fantasy di mio gusto in grado di trattare tematiche serie in modo realistico e rispettoso, e per questo devo molto alla Wang. Non vedo l'ora di leggere altro dalla sua brillante mente.   

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent

Moderate: Bullying, Police brutality, Car accident, Colonisation, Classism

Minor: Rape, Torture, Medical trauma

honnhi's review against another edition

4.75

dark emotional hopeful sad 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

---

I went into this book with the very little knowledge of what it was about besides having a dark academia setting, and I appreciate that as it afforded me the opportunity to experience it at firsthand.

My favorite thing about M. L. Wang’s works however shall always be her unique ability to seize the most specific, unsettling, and devastating emotions and bring them to life through her words. Before I had any inkling of what the plot could be about, I cared about the characters she introduced me to and what would happen next. Unfortunately except towards the beginning, while I was interested in the events that would happen next I rarely found myself genuinely invested in the stakes. Perhaps, it’s easier for me to feel emotionally connected to smaller-scale, more personal conflict. Luckily, despite not relating to the main character, Sciona, much at all, I found her perspective and thoughts to be captivating, her boldness and willingness (stubbornness) to stand by her values admirable. The great character work really did a lot of heavy lifting in this book.

While I do think the messaging about sexism and colonialism was a little heavy handed, I don’t think that it’s any less enjoyable or important. I think her depictions of the truths and emotions that underly these things were realistic and necessary for to get the purpose of this particular book across. To compare it to Sword of Kaigen would be doing a disservice to both novels because they are fundamentally different in what they are trying to accomplish. 

This woman-in-STEM approach to the story and world was surprisingly interesting considering I generally prefer more traditional fantasy environments. Still, my heart is set on softer magic systems that bring wonder to my eyes and heal my soul. 
Overall, it was a good experience that I’d recommend.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Genocide, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Colonisation, Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicide, Cannibalism, Abandonment