Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott

51 reviews

thewereraven's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Antisemitism, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Death, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Sexual violence and Kidnapping

tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

What an absolute joy of a book this is. History; heartbreak; magic; theater; folklore; queerness; complex family relationships; Jews kicking ass; a creepy, creepy villain <spoilers>who's really just a manifestation of the terrible things human beings do to each other; and the most adorable version ever of Baba Yaga's chicken-legged house. It's pretty great.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Stalking, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Transphobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Racial slurs, Vomit, and Cannibalism

Graphic: Mind control Moderate: Nonconsensual drug use

trin_16's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

4.25

This book was a wonderful blend of history, folklore, and fiction. I loved how the author weaved the stories of the Russian pogroms with the traditional stories of baba yaga. The ending was fantastic, and my only complaint was that this story has some half-baked plot points, and the pace was a bit slow in the beginning/middle but overall... so so good. Wonderful book and so different from most stories I've read before. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War

uranaishi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Torture, Xenophobia, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

ladykatka's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

This book wasn't perfect, but the writing of the pogrom was so emotional I cannot think of a more emotional description of such an event. The story and the people told in a way to be remembered always.

I didn't give it a 5 because most of the book was good, not great, but still good. That ending though moved me to tears and that is worth a high rating to me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Genocide, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

starlitpage's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

This is a powerful book about folklore and stories, about generational trauma, and about a house that doesn't stop running until it does. I didn't enjoy reading this book, but I'm glad I read it. I found the take on fear behind xenophobia particularly interesting. Would probably hold up well to rereads, but I don't intend to try.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Violence, Xenophobia, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug use

Drug use = smoking cigarettes often, mention of other drugs in passing

plantbaybe's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

enyltiak's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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

Lying was reductive, but in a way, all art was a form of lying. Poets hyperbolize. Painters heighten colors, smudge edges. Actors shapeshift. All ways to twist reality in order to tell a deeper, more potent truth. Fact only goes so far. There are a finite number of facts in the universe with which to tell a story. Lies, on the other hand, are limitless. 

What an incredible, wonderful book. Stories about houses, about hauntings, about stories themselves, will always draw me in and delight me. I can't express the love I have for this story. I'd rate it six stars if I could, if not more. Utter perfection, falling somewhere between the cozy epic-ness of Six of Crows and the comforting gothic of A Series of Unfortunate Events. It's a book about folk tales and magic and siblings and ghosts and memory, told from the perspective of the house in which the characters reside. I cannot recommend it enough. An instant new favorite. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and War

lancemama's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War

judah_g's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Antisemitism, and Grief