Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin

13 reviews

cayliehausman's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

An absolute must read series for anyone who enjoys fantasy, or social commentary. 

Wow, N.K. Jemisin knows how to rip your heart out of your chest and delicately place it in front of you on an offering plate. THIS. FINALE. WOW. WOW. WOW. The plot was brilliant, the ending even more so.

I can’t wait to dive into more of her books after finishing this series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Abandonment, and War

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

any_direction's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Torture, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Genocide, Cannibalism, and Murder

nerdy_reader_9571's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

Of the three emotionally devastating books in the trilogy, this one hit me the hardest. The history of this world provided in the third installment pulled together so much of the story for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Torture, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Violence and War

Minor: Rape

sarasreading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Wow, I can't believe I've finished this trilogy. What a ride it was! I feel like I've gone through something with these characters. Every step of this journey was masterful. 

I was so happy to finally get some answers in this one, and that we start getting them right from the beginning. The way Jemisin seamlessly blends multiple genres, POVs, and timelines was just so good. And the stakes just kept raising and raising while still being at its core (ba-dum-bum) an intimate mother-daughter story. 

The trilogy as a whole explores so many systemic problems from our own past and present that are mainly caused by those with power who continually chose their own interests over what's right. It's incredibly complex in its ideas, scope, and characters. Every character is layered, which just draws you in even deeper.

I got all the answers I wanted, and the ending was really satisfying to me. The first book might still be my favorite in the trilogy (that twist still has my jaw on the floor!), but the entire series is amazing. I can't wait to read more from this author!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

thewileyseven's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

I would give it more than five stars if I could. The stunning finale to easily the most beautiful, captivating, thoughtful, enticing, and important trilogy of modern SFF. I am just blown away by the world created in these books and the way it has so irrevocably changed mine. Cannot recommend these highly enough. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War

kaimetcalfe's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Slavery, Torture, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Murder, and Pregnancy

studydniowka's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I couldn’t think about better end of this epic story. Everything we learn about Hoa 🤯

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, and War

Minor: Torture, Blood, and Cannibalism

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

After finishing The Stone Sky, the final installment in NJ Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy, I MARVEL at how she pulled off these story arcs across three books. How she managed to examine slavery, motherhood, intergenerational trauma AND a climate crisis - without ANY of these layered allegories feeling incomplete or forced in any way - is genius. 

And while Jemisin deals in BIG global themes, she is also incredibly intimate. She gives such grace to each character that we are consistently pushed to reevaluate our sympathies and our own assumptions. I appreciate that while the fall-out for each character is complex, leaving each in morally grey spaces, the evil at the root of all this tragedy is very clear. Jemisin doesn't leave our interpretation to chance here - she (Hoa) will interject frequently, and we're reminded that for every single crime committed, other choices were always possible.

This series is HEAVY with lots of on-page trauma (please check content warnings!). But I highly recommend. I will be carrying these characters in my heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Cannibalism

some_random_person_hi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense

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

4.75

As the ending of the series, it more than delivered, with some of if not the best worldbuilding I have ever seen in my life (the other books in the series also had really good worldbuilding but this one took it to the next level) and everything is wrapped up better than I thought possible. The character arcs & relationships between characters are really well written and I got emotional at quite a few points. Only issue with the book was that a couple chapters dragged a little but overall one of the best books I have ever read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Excrement, Vomit, and Colonisation

boglord's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Miscarriage, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism