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ctkierst's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
schnaucl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This was a powerful story about revenge, privilege and power. It's about carving out a space for yourself and making it sacred.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder
susanatherly's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Minor: Toxic relationship
addydeejreads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Violence
mrz_owenz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The premise seemed intriguing but I just didn't like any of the characters and the writing felt confusing and/or stilted.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, and Classism
The characters treat their abuse as par for the course which just shows how messed up their society is.cathepsut's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
A vaguely dystopian setting in a flooded city. The poor bury their dead by sinking them in the canals surrounding their dwellings. Our MC Jewel is an enslaved courtesan, living a relatively comfortable, if restricted and not entirely safe life in a luxury brothel. One of the other women in her house is beaten to death by a client. But she doesn‘t stay dead. She comes back to life, looking for revenge and taking Jewel along for the ride.
80 pages, pretty odd, with a rambling and overloaded prose. The actual plot could have fit into a much shorter story. The rest didn‘t really work for me. It was just a lot of fluff, with the odd shocking bit in between. I skimmed through the last part. The ending was quite nice, at least for Jewel. But the mystery of the dead girl coming back to life was never explored and the world could have done with a little more background. I didn‘t really like this, sorry.
The cover looks nice, but is as overloaded as the prose.
Nebula Award Winner, Best Novella in 2021
Author‘s website at http://premeemohamed.com
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review
80 pages, pretty odd, with a rambling and overloaded prose. The actual plot could have fit into a much shorter story. The rest didn‘t really work for me. It was just a lot of fluff, with the odd shocking bit in between. I skimmed through the last part. The ending was quite nice, at least for Jewel. But the mystery of the dead girl coming back to life was never explored and the world could have done with a little more background. I didn‘t really like this, sorry.
The cover looks nice, but is as overloaded as the prose.
Nebula Award Winner, Best Novella in 2021
Author‘s website at http://premeemohamed.com
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
laurareads87's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
And What We Can Offer You Tonight packs a lot into a novella-length work: richly described setting, enough world-building to know what's going on while leaving a lot of the societal background vague, beautiful writing, and some complex themes. Mohamed can definitely write, and I'm very much looking forward to reading more from her.
What didn't work for me in this one was the character development. Everyone felt very two-dimensional and, in conflict with the story's themes, characters were entirely defined by their social roles. I feel like characters' social positions -- rich sexist man, exploitative brothel owner, etc. -- are here treated like they're personality traits: there doesn't seem to be a lot else going on even with the main characters.
What didn't work for me in this one was the character development. Everyone felt very two-dimensional and, in conflict with the story's themes, characters were entirely defined by their social roles. I feel like characters' social positions -- rich sexist man, exploitative brothel owner, etc. -- are here treated like they're personality traits: there doesn't seem to be a lot else going on even with the main characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Torture
howdyhoward's review against another edition
4.0
A searing indictment of late-stage capitalism and how fighting to survive under present conditions is not only counterrevolutionary but will end up hurting yourself and your loved ones in the end. It took me a minute to get into the universe but this is a wonderful novella.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, and Murder
maryellen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Gun violence, Blood, and Grief
booksthatburn's review against another edition
It’s hazy and dream-like in a way that made it hard to hang on to what’s happening. The premise is interesting, but I expected a mystery, not an existentialist meditation.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
Minor: Sexual content and Murder