Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

La quinta stagione by N.K. Jemisin

40 reviews

anniehayez's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

I really can’t put my thoughts into words other than to say this is a perfect book. I think this is the most unique, intricate, heartbreaking and awe inspiring story I’ve ever read. A true masterpiece.  (Please see content warnings)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, and Cannibalism

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, Vomit, Trafficking, and Suicide attempt

kimco_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

This book was a a feat of epic literature. The world and character building was phenomenal. I truly have never read such an original science fiction novel in both writing style and story. There is no doubt in my mind the Hugo Award N.K. Jemison received for this series was earned. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, Violence, and Trafficking

rmperezpadilla's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Grief

Minor: Pedophilia and Rape

glitterdeww's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? Yes

5.0

Knowing how much praise it's garnered since it's debut, I have felt intimidated by The Fifth Season for years now. I am INCREDIBLY glad that I finally read it! What this book accomplishes is outstanding. The commentary on life and death, ages ending and beginning - Resurrection, and what that looks like from the smallest of instances to the grandest of scale - is truly and utterly brilliant. She portrays a world of classism and racism that is EQUALLY fantastic and believable that will gut you in it's heartbreaking reality.

Beyond Jemisin's incredible world and character development (which, if you know you know, omg! Lol) I found the structure of the story, from first page to last, to be remarkable. I'm fairly certain that if I was not told how well done this book was, I may not have dug into every scene to the extent that I did upon first go through. But goddamnit lol I cannot get over the level of precision in her story structure. The breadcrumbs she leaves... The explanation and then LACK of explanation to guide the reader into drawing those conclusions... The crafting is perfection. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Grief, and Classism

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cannibalism

cherry_lake's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

Completely loved this book, so excited to read the next one. 

Things I loved about it:
- World building
- Character development 
- Queerness as an unremarkable aspect of the world
- Excellent pacing 
- Complete commitment to the geology theme 
- Such a good plot twist near the end 
- Loose writing style that easily enveloped very difficult themes and humor

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Trafficking

Moderate: Bullying and Pregnancy

brynalexa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? No

5.0

An entire book of world building but it works! I love how it comes together in the end and also how it doesn’t. Immediately picking up The Obelisk Gate. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture and Stalking

Minor: Alcohol

delphinaris's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

what the fuck, like actually. There's genuinely so many different moving pieces to this book. I have so many questions, just like, wow. I fucking called it that all POVs were the same person, I knew it. Also Syenite pissed me off so much, like it was just one stupid move after the other. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

This book is majorly fucked up; especially the scenes in the Fulcrum. Read at your own risk.

stierwood's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

Some things: 

I didn’tunderstand the use of the 2nd person until about 2/3rds thru the book, and then thought it was rlly clever. 

Characters were complex and loveable. 

I have a history degree. That this book focuses on history, how it is told, and who writes it was so good to read and exceptionally well-done. The lore was sooo fleshed out.

A hard one to read in a slump. The world building was complex so thank gd for the appendix. 

Dark, but never unnecessarily so. 

Except every modern dystopian piece of media i have consumed recently has had cannibalism in it and my tummy hurts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

cheye13's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

3.0

This is a masterfully composed story and an expertly crafted world. I particularly enjoyed the interludes that broke the story here and there - beautiful passages that also foreshadowed and added subtext seamlessly.

There was a consistently morose tone and happy moments were few and far between, which I found trying at times. But overal an excellent book that I would recommend widely. Can't wait to see where the rest of the story goes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Slavery, Transphobia, Trafficking, and Cannibalism

katievallin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy

Minor: Blood, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol