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nerdatlas5's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.25
No spoilers: however a small warning about potential triggers: there is instances of body dysmorphophobia, xenophobia, PTSD, and most notably it was very descriptive of gore. Like I felt a little queasy listening to it. I only noticed it twice towards the end, but because the book is centered around a healer attempting to cure an unknown illness, it is does deal a lot with the body anatomically throughout. I liked it, but if you're not comfortable with that this might not be the book for you.
With that aside, I really enjoyed this. I listened to it on audiobook and while at first I thought that this was just set up for a larger series with not a lot moving it forward plot wise, it proved me wrong. Firuz and the rest of the cast of characters were pretty well fleshed out. Since the first half of the book was setting up the conflicts of the latter half, we spent a lot of time in Firuz's head exploring the complex relationships between them and their brother, mentor, and the teen they start to teach blood magic to. Despite references to their mom, she is notably absent throughout the book, and considering there is established friction between them I would have liked to see mom more.
I also feel like the antagonist's reasons for doing what they did wasn't as thought out as I would have liked. Like there's a gap between the person they were before we knew their whole plan, and after it unravels, like they weren't the same person. It would have been nice to maybe have a moment or 2 of Firuz in a longer conversation with them, and perhaps that would have tied the motivation more clearly to the character better.
The setting was well developed too. The setting is inspired by the author's background, and you can see that in the world's treatment of refugees based on their ethnicity and the class struggles, yet it also still maintains its sense of fantasy through the magic system. I would be glad to see more from this world if the author continues with it.
I think the audiobook itself was good; I've learned that I can only listen to audiobooks in the car. Anywhere else and I get too distracted to pay attention lol.
With that aside, I really enjoyed this. I listened to it on audiobook and while at first I thought that this was just set up for a larger series with not a lot moving it forward plot wise, it proved me wrong. Firuz and the rest of the cast of characters were pretty well fleshed out. Since the first half of the book was setting up the conflicts of the latter half, we spent a lot of time in Firuz's head exploring the complex relationships between them and their brother, mentor, and the teen they start to teach blood magic to. Despite references to their mom, she is notably absent throughout the book, and considering there is established friction between them I would have liked to see mom more.
I also feel like the antagonist's reasons for doing what they did wasn't as thought out as I would have liked. Like there's a gap between the person they were before we knew their whole plan, and after it unravels, like they weren't the same person. It would have been nice to maybe have a moment or 2 of Firuz in a longer conversation with them, and perhaps that would have tied the motivation more clearly to the character better.
The setting was well developed too. The setting is inspired by the author's background, and you can see that in the world's treatment of refugees based on their ethnicity and the class struggles, yet it also still maintains its sense of fantasy through the magic system. I would be glad to see more from this world if the author continues with it.
I think the audiobook itself was good; I've learned that I can only listen to audiobooks in the car. Anywhere else and I get too distracted to pay attention lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
taratearex's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
First read 2023
Reread 2024
I really enjoy this little novella! Despite being a novella, it's dense with worldbuilding and strong characters, the world feels fully realized, yet leaves so many questions that it could have easily been a full length novel delving deeper. The writing is also dense, at times a bit hard to follow or doesn't quite flow, but still quite enjoyable and I look forward to more from this author. I absolutely loved the queer normative world and nonbinary and trans main characters, would love for a this to be a series of novellas in this universe.
The audiobook is excellent, read by one of my favorite narrators Fajer Al-Kaisi. My first read was the audiobook alone and given the dense worldbuilding, I preferred having the physical book this time, but I still listened to the audiobook because I just love the narration.
Reread 2024
I really enjoy this little novella! Despite being a novella, it's dense with worldbuilding and strong characters, the world feels fully realized, yet leaves so many questions that it could have easily been a full length novel delving deeper. The writing is also dense, at times a bit hard to follow or doesn't quite flow, but still quite enjoyable and I look forward to more from this author. I absolutely loved the queer normative world and nonbinary and trans main characters, would love for a this to be a series of novellas in this universe.
The audiobook is excellent, read by one of my favorite narrators Fajer Al-Kaisi. My first read was the audiobook alone and given the dense worldbuilding, I preferred having the physical book this time, but I still listened to the audiobook because I just love the narration.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Gore, Racism, and Xenophobia
theboricuabookworm's review against another edition
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
A sucker punch of a book that took me half the book to understand what was happening and the other half to mourn the constant cycle of colonialism. This book is up there with This Is How You Lose the Time War in terms of ethereal pain.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Colonisation
zydecovivo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I started seeing this book on tons of list for it's asexual and nonbinary representation, so I decided to read it.
The story follows Firuz, a refugee who seeks to become a healer due to their magical abilities. However, Firuz must hide their main magical talents, which is blood healing. Firuz and their family's struggle to get by in a society that hates and fears refugees. There are also mystery illnesses spreading among the patients that Firuz is desperate to find the cause of.
I will admit that it took me a lot of reading to get into this story. While the world seems interesting, I found it difficult to read due to the blatant xenophobia the characters face. And the climatic mystery does not really appear until the final section of the story. This was a very short novel, but I wonder if it would have benefitted from being expanded since I already found the novella length difficult. I did not really understand the magical systems or history that I felt was required to empathize with both our protagonists and antagonists. However, after reading the author's description of the story, attempting to imagine a place where the colonizer is displaced and colonized, I feel better about the story as a whole. Firuz is explicitly nonbinary and asexual, with supporting characters that are also queer and this is one of the few LGBTQ stories I've read that is not a romance. It was a good start and I would be interested in reading similar stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Bullying, Genocide, Hate crime, Violence, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
mnstarr's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child abuse, Genocide, and Dysphoria
Minor: Torture and Death of parent
flyinglark's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
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
3.75
The Bruising of Qilwa is a snapshot into the queer-normative fantastical Persian-inspired world. Naseem Jamnia always intended it to be a novella, but their worldbuilding left me hungry for more. The magic systems were easy to grasp and rooted in the science we know.
I enjoyed how Firuz was a relatively "normal" protagonist, a thirty-year-old provider for their family who fled from their home country and does not rock the boat. Jamnia also highlights the nuances of immigration and being prideful of one's culture, as they mention, "[w]hat does it mean to be oppressed when you were once an oppressor."
I look forward to future work from this author, especially future works in this world.
I enjoyed how Firuz was a relatively "normal" protagonist, a thirty-year-old provider for their family who fled from their home country and does not rock the boat. Jamnia also highlights the nuances of immigration and being prideful of one's culture, as they mention, "[w]hat does it mean to be oppressed when you were once an oppressor."
I look forward to future work from this author, especially future works in this world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Blood, and Medical content
Moderate: Racism, Colonisation, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Genocide, Physical abuse, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
alwaysairie's review against another edition
mysterious
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
3.25
This novella was my first brand new read as I'm getting back into it and it was great for that purpose, I think it's a small intriguing read that's a good debut for the author and I'm very looking forward to reading more from them! The characters are very loveable and the dynamic especially between Faruz, Parviz, and Afsoneh is delightful.
It is basically a murder mystery with magic and disease as a focus. The story is nothing revolutionary and the resolution is quite predictable. This said it wasn't something displeasing! In fact, it gave a lot of space to be with Firuz which was a great character to follow throughout the story.
It will also serve as a good representation for queer folks of Persian background, I'm very happy that this story exists for them
It is basically a murder mystery with magic and disease as a focus. The story is nothing revolutionary and the resolution is quite predictable. This said it wasn't something displeasing! In fact, it gave a lot of space to be with Firuz which was a great character to follow throughout the story.
It will also serve as a good representation for queer folks of Persian background, I'm very happy that this story exists for them
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, and Vomit
onegalonelife27's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
I found the plot interesting with Firuz being really kind; trying their best to take care of their family by making a living as healer, hiding their true magical abilities in their new country, and figuring out the cause of a new plague emerging in their new country.
I also liked the way the story was format, dividing Firuz's story into three chapters or years. First, the first year with them trying to get a job as a healer and adjusting to their new life. The second focusing on the new plague spreading on their relationship with their brother and student. The last one a dramatic conclusion to everything!
Though I have to admit, I do feel this book does more telling and showing. Like different parts of characters' backstory are just told to the reader at certain moments with not much hinting. The backstories make sense, but I'd prefer to not be used as dramatic fodder.
Overall, pretty good if you want a different kind of fantasy story that keeps you on your toes.
I also liked the way the story was format, dividing Firuz's story into three chapters or years. First, the first year with them trying to get a job as a healer and adjusting to their new life. The second focusing on the new plague spreading on their relationship with their brother and student. The last one a dramatic conclusion to everything!
Though I have to admit, I do feel this book does more telling and showing. Like different parts of characters' backstory are just told to the reader at certain moments with not much hinting. The backstories make sense, but I'd prefer to not be used as dramatic fodder.
Overall, pretty good if you want a different kind of fantasy story that keeps you on your toes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Medical content, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Dysphoria
Minor: Vomit, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Genocide, Self harm, Colonisation, Dysphoria, and War
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
bisexualwentworth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Oh this book is GOOD! The way it explores its characters and its central themes, the way Naseem Jamnia creates and develops an entire world in so few pages... yes yes yes.
The blood magic was fascinating and dark, and I feel like we receive just enough information about it for its role in the story to land the way its supposed to. The main character and the antagonist are both well-meaning, flawed people. The plot didn't go the way I expected, and it was much more compelling than what I was expecting!
And I loved reading the author's afterword at the end of the book. I generally try to judge books on their own merits, but I do think that authorial intent is relevant, and I always love a thoughtful reflection on why something was written. It made me appreciate the book even more.
The beginning was a bit rough. I didn't get into the book right away. But was I was engaged, I finished the rest of it in one day. I look forward to more from this author/this world!
The blood magic was fascinating and dark, and I feel like we receive just enough information about it for its role in the story to land the way its supposed to. The main character and the antagonist are both well-meaning, flawed people. The plot didn't go the way I expected, and it was much more compelling than what I was expecting!
And I loved reading the author's afterword at the end of the book. I generally try to judge books on their own merits, but I do think that authorial intent is relevant, and I always love a thoughtful reflection on why something was written. It made me appreciate the book even more.
The beginning was a bit rough. I didn't get into the book right away. But was I was engaged, I finished the rest of it in one day. I look forward to more from this author/this world!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Racism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma