Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Truth of the Divine by Lindsay Ellis

52 reviews

geekmom's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

This book was interesting and ended on a strong note. However, it had some issues, many of which I think come from it being the second book in a trilogy exploring some very complex and difficult legal, moral and philosophical issues, and others which are likely the byproduct of trying to write about a character with serious mental health challenges without ending up with a book nobody would want to read. I’m glad I finished this book, and I’ll read the third one, but I hope it’s less uneven.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts

qoutrot's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexual content, Xenophobia, and Racism

lostwaterbottle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

There’s different flavors of alien sci fi. In this one, the aliens evolve with many of the same flaws of humanity. I find that hard to believe because is supposes a predisposition/nature of intelligent life for violence. From that perspective this reads more as a story using aliens to warn readers of the danger of right wing politics. 

Some readers might feel there’s too much politics in this story, but I think the author is pretty accurate in imagining how the US would react to first contact. If immigrants at the border move us closer to authoritarianism and the government actively supports the genocide in Palestine, then of course that rhetoric would be used toward ETs. 

I did appreciate the depiction of PTSD in Cora and what she was going through as a young person with a traumatic past. Her character felt real and believable to me. I’m disappointed that 

the sex between her and Kaveh when she was clearly distressed and not in the right headspace to give consent,  was never addressed but we just moved past it. <\spoiler>

It was a little slow for me in the second half- I didn’t even tear up at the end tbh.  I’m used to more dramatic and smutty books tho. If read the next one. I hope to see a redemption arc for Sol and Cora’s family. I’m also curious as to how humanity preps for meeting the superorganism. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Self harm

Moderate: Antisemitism, Alcoholism, Xenophobia, and Addiction

Minor: Domestic abuse

bean_7088's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

Oof... that was a rough one. 
Wanna be sad about the human race? Wanna feel fairly hopless? This one is for you!

It does end on a hopeful note... but like that hopefulness is somewhat undercut by the way the character speakin treated. 

This one had a lot of tense scenes I wanted to hide from. I had to stop a lot and explain what was going on to my roommate so I could get those jitters out. Like, a televised "discussion" between two different sides of the alien personhood debate. A hearing where unknown evidence comes up. 

Anyways, it was still really good. 

I'm not sure how I felt about Kaveh. And I'm not sure if it was how he was written or just his voice actor 😅 I'm sure the guy is normally fine, but the main voice actor Stephanie Willis is so incredible that switching to him is quite jarring. 

Waring that Cora goes through a lot, this poor kid traumatized over and over. And Stephanie Willis will make you feel it. Listening to Cora's Panic attacks was very distressing.

The ending left on such a wild note I am excited to see where the 3rd book will go. Now I just have to wait 7 months 🥲

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Islamophobia, Grief, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicide, Death, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Self harm, Police brutality, and Suicide attempt

Lindsay Ellis does a big Content Warning before everything starts. At least in the audio book.

mikkiokko's review against another edition

dark sad tense 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? It's complicated

I think I liked most of this book more than Axiom's End. When the book was discussing the aliens and the whole world's reaction to them I was hooked and interested. I also appreciated the authors unwillingness to shy away from the fact that Cora would not be okay after everything that happened in the first book.
However, the biggest problem for me in this book was Kaveh and Cora's relationships. I had a lot of problems with it. I understand that Kaveh is a flawed character and there are certain aspects about him that I do empathize with. But, I felt like much of the time he was too emotionally immature to be in a relationship with Cora, especially while she was struggling severely from PTSD and self-harming tendencies. He often neglected her feelings and well-being completely so that he could have sex with her all while having an insane savior complex. And look, when he got died at the hands of some psycho redneck fascist I did feel bad for him, but I also wished that instead of him dying being the exit of his character it would have been something more along the lines of Cora leaving him or them both leaving each other that way his serious flaws could've been acknowledged better. Instead it felt like much of that was glossed over.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death, Mental illness, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug abuse

emilb's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, Antisemitism, Death, Gun violence, Grief, Suicide, Islamophobia, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Xenophobia

Minor: Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Kidnapping

beccaand's review

dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Self harm, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Racism, Islamophobia, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, and Eating disorder

kanonkita's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.75

Very well written. I had some issues with the slow pacing of the first book in this series that I felt this one largely managed to avoid. Some aspects of the main character were a bit grating at times, but in one sense that was the point. She was struggling with trauma and mental health issues related to that, and I think Ellis did a good job portraying how these things can make someone difficult to deal with or be around. 

That being said, maybe avoid the audiobook unless you really enjoy listening to tremulous female voices shouting "No no no" over and over again ever few minutes. The computerized sound effect that was put over the Amygdalans' voices in the audiobook could also be grating at times and made it difficult to hear them if there was any background noise while I was listening.

Overall, I would recommend it, but do pay attention to the content warning Ellis provides at the beginning of the novel. 

Also, a note that I have not seen this book listed as LGBTQ+ in many places, which I can only chalk up to bi erasure. Cora is bisexual, and it seems unfair that this gets overlooked just because she has a heterosexual romance, especially given that it occurs alongside her very queer relationship with an alien who only uses he/him pronouns out of convenience.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Body horror, Antisemitism, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Gun violence, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Gore, Suicide attempt, Islamophobia, Addiction, Death, Blood, Xenophobia, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness

mollyisff's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative 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: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Self harm, and Xenophobia

strawberrydaydream's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.75

A gripping sequel to Axiom's End. Thoroughly enjoyed Cora's ever evolving journey with Ampersand. Interesting exploration of the moral and political conflict that could arise from extraterrestrial refugees.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, Body horror, and Self harm

Moderate: Violence and Xenophobia