Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis

14 reviews

beebeewin's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

3.75

I enjoyed this book and the casual queerness built into an otherwise classic sci-fi tale. I love the multiple perspectives and the viewpoints from both sides of the war, as it got me so engrossed in all angles.  It built in me an excitement  to see how this series plays out as I want to see all the characters interact.  Linden Lewis built a beautiful world and I am excited to see how they build off it and how the characters dynamics change. Plus, the I found myself so conflicted in the end about the romance which I love because the twist totally subverts the tropes of most novels. Plus gay love in any form is super appreciated. 

I think why this book doesn't crack the 4 star region is simply because at the end all the realizations came almost too rapidly. I wanted the end to be drawn out with the extreme detail and thoughtfulness that the earlier part of this book had. I feel like I got to know the characters so well I just wanted a little more time to see them processing and really growing into the character growth we were shown.

With all of that I am definitely excited to read the sequel. The world that Lewis built is rich and I am excited for all the political intrigue and interactions of all these characters. I would recommend this book for anyone look for a fun sci-fi space read with lots of queer representation and some exciting potential for a sequel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, and Violence

planetesastraea's review against another edition

adventurous tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Medical trauma, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse

Minor: Slavery, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

brukneem's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? No

4.0

Excellent world building, a realistic society that doesn't focus too heavily on the subjugation of women. It's certainly a plot point, but it's not creepily and suffocatingly detailed. And there is hope and revenge and EXCELLENT plot twists. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore, Body horror, Racism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Colonisation, Gaslighting, War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Torture

salemander's review against another edition

5.0

comparing this book to the Handmaids Tale does not do it justice. took me a second to get into the authors tone and rhythm but once i did i couldn’t put this shit down. i know it’s not gonna turn out well since this shit is already dark as hell but please i want these characters to have peace so goddamn bad

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Torture, Death, Colonisation, Slavery, War, and Body horror

lanid's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Racism, Terminal illness, War, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Classism, Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, and Body horror

kaylamoran's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.5

Outer space books and movies aren't usually my thing, but I really liked this!  It was super unique, and I didn't see the plot twist coming at all.  4.5 stars instead of 5 because I found Lito's perspective a little boring sometimes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Torture, Body horror, Confinement, Gaslighting, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Xenophobia, War, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Racism, Vomit, Transphobia, and Murder

rebeccajost's review

adventurous dark 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: Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Medical trauma, Dysphoria, Blood, Child abuse, Violence, Transphobia, Classism, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Trafficking, Gun violence, Medical content, Racial slurs, Torture, Confinement, and Death of parent

implied adult/minor relationship, regarding trasphobia & dysphoria:

Spoiler

surgical transition and changing of someone's body without their consent

wellintendedbibliophile's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective 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

Diverse cast and a respectful approach to incorporating characters with disabilities, both mental and physical. This book is dark, but so well-thought out. I loved every character and appreciate how the author humanized each character.  This is still a top favorite. I need to read the sequel soon. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Colonisation, Child abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, War, Murder, Racism, Religious bigotry, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, and Panic attacks/disorders

anniereads221's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Sexual assault, Death, Murder, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Racism, Rape, Torture, Violence, War, and Classism

forthesanityof1's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Oh god did I love this book. The premise really caught me in the beginning and I love the way the author engaged with the world-building over the course of the book to build into the plot issues as well. The way the language with the names of the different races was created particularly stood out to me. The plot was super intriguing in a nice mix of political intrigue, war, and personal stakes that made it a page-turner. I loved the writing style along with the three perspectives utilized by the author. First Sister's POV was my favorite but Lito and Hiro's were also really well done. I also appreciated the overall queer-ness of the book and world. I like that the ending especially had a lot of impact with reveals about a certain character and what actually happened. If I wasn't exhausted, I could draw a lot of parallels to issues we see in our world with queer, women, and more specifically trans issues as well. I'm dying to get my hands on the second one once it's out in paperback. If there was one thing for me to criticize, it was that the pacing sometimes reflected the author's intention to set up for the rest of the trilogy in a way that was a touch obvious, but that's being super nit-picky. Also hoping for a poly relationship in the end, so fingers crossed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Torture, Transphobia, and Violence

Mental illness specifically refers to the revelation that

Spoiler

the First Sister has DID or dissociative identity disorder due to her experiences and Lito deals with PTSD/flashbacks/panic attacks/reliving physical sensations

. I included tags about rape and sexual assault due to the

Spoiler

nature of the Sisterhood and the tasks they are expected to perform for those that want it regardless of the Sister's consent.