Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

31 reviews

casthefanby's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Gore, Murder, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Racism, Animal death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Self harm, Kidnapping, and Sexism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Trafficking, and Addiction

kanj1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Gore, Child abuse, Violence, Sexism, Racism, Pedophilia, Lesbophobia, Grief, Abandonment, and Misogyny

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Blood, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Confinement

ash_ton's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

i read this for the LGBTQIA+ book club i'm a part of! i don't normally gravitate towards science fiction so it's always nice to be pleasantly surprised. 
i was not expecting the turn the book took. like, at all. wild

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Homophobia, Blood, Stalking, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Sexism, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Cannibalism, Child death, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexual content

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Terminal illness, Suicide, Bullying, Cancer, and Cultural appropriation

bruisedtigers's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

3.75

I enjoyed this a lot! This developed really well for 3/4 of the story, but the conclusion felt sadly rushed in comparison, which is a shame because it flows so well beforehand. 

Some dialogue with side/supporting characters is very heavy-handed for making a statement, which is all very well, but feels unbalanced compared to the more eloquent writing of similar issues in other sections of the book. Unfortunately, it sticks out in an odd way. 

The character work is great and I always admire well-written child characters in fiction. So much of this gets under the skin and lurks in an eerie way. Unique with its horror elements and very haunting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Homophobia, Hate crime, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Kidnapping, Grief, Body horror, Racism, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Torture, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Slavery, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Racial slurs, and Police brutality

mjadeh's review against another edition

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Murder, Violence, Blood, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexism, Stalking, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Physical abuse

bookwormbi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

What a beautiful, engaging, brilliant book. I can’t wait to read Solomon’s other work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Sexism, Colonisation, Homophobia, and Ableism

aqulia's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

The atmosphere was incredible, and the characters were very compelling.  Vern and Gogo's dynamic had excellent development, and it was interesting to read about.  I did not see the twist coming. 

Spoiler

Ollie's survival and agelessness could have been more fleshed out, but it was still really good.

  The hauntings were delightfully creepy, and this book had me on edge.

"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."

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism, Racism, Body horror, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

Also cults. That's not an available trigger warning, but Cainland is certainly a cult.

deathcabforkatey's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? No

4.0

This was almost a 5 star read for me (I’m a heathen and don’t do half stars). This book is SO inventive and creative. Solomon is an incredible author and I can’t wait to read everything they write. Until the last 50 or so pages I was so invested and couldn’t wait to keep reading, but the last act really felt rushed - it needed a sequel at the very least I feel like to really flesh out the ending. Solomon clearly has bones to pick with colonization, racism, and specifically the systemic oppressions in our government - but I love that they make it a story of adversity in spite of it all. They also make it a story that while revolves around criticisms, isn’t overwhelmed by them. 

I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes sci-fi/fantasy that pushes the genre.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Genocide

mariebrunelm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

What. A. Ride. This book is really intense, and had I known it was horror I might not have had the courage to read it, but I'm glad I did. 

Vern is alone in the woods, but not for long. In the first line of the book, she gives birth to her twins while on the run from a cult-like community. It's a story of survival, of evolution, of finding one's worth beyond what one has always been told and snapping free from years of lies. Vern is young, yes, but she's determined and stronger than she looks or even feels. Weirdly stronger.

Rivers Solomon barely lets the readers breathe throughout this modern Gothic novel. When it's not an external threat, it's either the newness of finding / founding a new family or the experience of otherness coming from Vern's own body. Add in there disturbing hauntings, precious twins growing like the best weeds and lesbian love, and there you have a tremendous book.

Rep: Black lesbian albinos genderqueer MC with nystagmus (visual disability), Lakota secondary character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Animal death, Violence, Body horror, and Racism

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, and Self harm

Minor: Sexual violence

mixtercharlie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

This is a wonderful book that I would encourage everyone to read in small parts. It deserves to be enjoyed slowly. There is violence but the violence is paramount to the story, even when it’s visceral and upsetting. A book I could read again and again and always take away something new. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Ableism, Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Torture, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Animal death, Child death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Death of parent, Genocide, Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, and Self harm