Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

16 reviews

parkerluck's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

4.0

I loved the plot and the characters, especially everything with Vern and her children. The prose was lovely, although occasionally a bit... overbearing?  But once I adjusted to it it was easy to move with. 

I did find the 3rd part to be a little scattered/rushed. Too many side characters introduced that only seemed to exist as a vehicle for the author to pontificate (the hunters/motel women). The ideas weren't bad, but they felt out of place, especially since those themes could have been addressed a little more naturally when Vern was making her way through the world earlier. The denouement action also felt a little tacked on after we had spent so much time immersed in the rest of the story. 

Overall, really good though! I'll definitely be thinking about this book for awhile, and it filled a gap I was looking for. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Homophobia, Racism, Medical trauma, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia

A lot of warnings on this and it does deal with quite heavy subject matter. There are no graphic descriptions of rape/abuse, as all of this content happens off screen.

contre_qui's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Absolutely one of the best books of the year. Once again, Rivers Solomon does not disappoint. This is such a dark, interesting book. The horror was horrifying without being necessarily scary, the science fiction elements are beautifully included. I really couldn't get enough of this. The prose is amazing, the plot was intriguing and weird without being difficult to follow. I loved the presentation of gender. It's such a complex and disturbing book. Some parts felt a little heavy handed but it felt intentional enough that I didn't mind them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Violence

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, and Sexual content

Includes discussions of cults and cult behavior and the abuse inherent within cults. Includes hallucinations. The drug use is unknowing/non-consentual.

skudiklier's review against another edition

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? Yes

4.75

I don't really like horror, so I was really hesitant going into this book, and only read it for a book club. But I'm glad I did; though it was definitely dark and at times upsetting, it was also really good. I was fascinated by what was happening, and some of the twists really got me. This is the second book I've read by this author and I definitely think I'll look into their other work. 

Also, vague spoilers for the ending, but

I was pleasantly surprised by how happy the ending was.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Hate crime, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Cannibalism, and Colonisation

Minor: Racial slurs and Suicide

queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

5.0

5 ⭐ CW: (provided by the author) racism, misogyny, self-harm, sucidality, homophobia, animal death, sexual violence mentions, (provided by me) drug use/overdose mention, sex, body horror, medical experimentation 

"I like the woods. In them, the possibilities seem endless. They are where wild things are, and I like to think wild always wins. In the woods, it doesn't matter that there is no patch of earth that has not known bone. Known blood. Known rot. It feeds from that. It grows the trees. The mushrooms. It turns sorrows into flowers." 

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon is another incredible standalone that I'm probably never going to shut up about. So glad I started my year off with a nonbinary author. Solomon gave us albino rep, disability rep, queer rep, and indigenous rep. 

We follow Vern, a vision impaired black albino woman, who is fleeing a Black religious compound known mostly as Cainland. Cainland was a commune created by Black separatists, and shun anything from the white man's world. Vern has been married off to their reverend, and has chosen to give birth to her twins alone in the woods at 15. 

Vern is such a badass! She birthed twins alone and then decided to live in the woods with them totally self sufficient. She stays there, until she starts experiencing weird changes in her body since leaving the commune. Now she goes on a mission to figure out her past and what is really happening at Cainland. Suffice it to say we have a religious cult, government conspiracy, and medical experimentation similar to Tuskegee. 

Solomon always does a fantastic job of bringing characters to life and making them feel like real people. Even Vern's children, Howling and Feral, have full personalities. They are so cute and honestly the comic relief this heavy book needed. Gogo was a great love interest and gave Vern some depth and softness. 

I loved the concept of mushrooms, spores, and mycelium being used in this! Mushrooms as a super power! I'm loving all the mushroom-y things in media. Star Trek: Discovery uses a mycelial network to travel, and The Houseplant by Jeremy Ray uses mycelium as a way for different plants to communicate with each other.  Also, we get some serious spicy bits in here 🔥🥵. 

We get a lot of themes about choice, freedom, and the much needed criticism of the US. The US has committed so many atrocities and allowed them to happen. The United States is an occupational force on Indigenous land, and this book acknowledges that. Solomon points out to us how someone can become an extremist or be radicalized from severe disenfranchisement. 

I may even reread this book at some point, it was that good. Read this book. Read Rivers Solomon in general.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Racism

Minor: Drug use and Sexual violence

kelseyr713'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? Yes

5.0

Fantastic. I want to read everything Rivers has ever written now; fae have an incredible way with words. There’s so much to consider while reading; this is a novel that made me think and will continue to sit with me for a long while. I was gripped throughout. It will absolutely benefit from rereadings. Vern is a wonderful protagonist, extremely well-rounded and real despite everything happening around her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

sporemiette's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Misogyny, and Stalking

Minor: Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Fire/Fire injury