Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia

45 reviews

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. 

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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. 

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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

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. 

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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

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. 

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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

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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

bea__reads's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Genocide, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

Minor: Child death, Torture, and Dysphoria

rhi_'s review against another edition

dark 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Colonisation

letsgolesbians's review

emotional reflective 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

3.75

wow, i did not know how much i needed to step into a queernornative world. it was a much needed comfort.

confession: i do not world build in my head when i read books. i rarely imagine the characters. which is one of the reasons i rarely read adult fantasy and i am not really the person to listen to when it comes to adult fantasy—i can’t tell you if the magic system or world or conflict made sense because it usually doesn’t make sense to me anyway. i can talk to you for hours about the magic systems in disney movies but that’s about it.

what i can tell you is that i loved the nuance in this book—the protagonist and antagonist are not hero and villain, the problem has been caused by an attempt at healing, and the problem is solved in a way that does not make the protagonist a winner.

in the author’s note, they say they didn’t initially intend to examine the question “what does it mean to be oppressed when you were once an oppressor?” but found themself writing about it as they deepened the story. i think the question, which firuz (the mc) asks themself several times throughout the book, strengthened the story and the character development. jamnia relates it to their being persian and persian history, and about unlearning things they originally never questioned about empire.

this is a quick read and i recommend it for fellow queer folks who want or need to step into a queernormative world.


photo review here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C5GmLQLr6VQ/?igsh=NzBmMjdhZWRiYQ==

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Medical content, and Colonisation

Moderate: Genocide

toopunkrockforshul's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

Really well executed book that engages both magic and empire in a way I haven't often seen done! I'm always excited for magic-as-science and this definitely fit the bill. Also really liked how gender and transition was handled with this, where it was relevant to the characters and the story but not necessarily the point. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture, Violence, and Vomit

Minor: Racial slurs, Self harm, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War

gabe_escobedo's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Good book. A little confusing at times, with regards to the in world empires and conquests, but I enjoyed it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Blood, Colonisation, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic