Reviews tagging 'Death'

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

42 reviews

bookhoe1's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

This book is absolutely beautiful. I read it in one sitting and couldn't put it down. The characters, the prose, the science and world just pull you in. I love detailed books like this, with footnotes and articles from fictional scientific journals. 
It is also deeply emotional, I cried several times. I can only repeat my opening sentiment; it's a beautiful book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War

teatunesandtales's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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

If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gaslighting

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness

Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Infidelity, Police brutality, Grief, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

cmcahill's review against another edition

emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

This is the best book I have read in a long time. Set in the 1950s and 1960s as girls and women turn into dragons, the hysteria and forgetting are so believeable. Humans are so good at running away from looking at problems. I can't put into words how much I like this book. Need to re-read it sooner rather than later!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

alisonvh's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful slow-paced

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

5.0

I love this book so much! I love the idea of women being magical and activating their power in magical ways. I love the focus on female relationships of all kinds and how they can morph and evolve over time. I love the idea of women forging the lives they want and leaving behind the tiny little men who force them into tiny little lives. I got this book from the library, but I think I might need to own a copy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

laurenoden's review against another edition

inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

searedfish's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment

3bobbielee's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Death of parent

Moderate: Violence and Death of parent

sydcopus's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

When Women Were Dragons was a beautiful and thought-provoking book. I loved the way that Kelly Barnhill weaved in scientific/medical documents and history documentation with the story. This book made me feel so many things and I wanted to live in it and examine them for, forever. The way in which a womxn's role in the family/home, workplace, military, society was examined was so interesting. I also loved the examination of the internal conflict of the "duty" to their families and to themselves that the womxn who dragoned versus didn't dragon. I thought the taboo surrounding dragoning and it's parallels to feminity and to things society deems inherently feminine was very interesting. I could go on forever about this book but I will leave it at this for the sake of not spoiling anything for other readers. Just know, that if you love feminist theory/thought and enjoy a good historical/speculative fiction, When Women Were Dragons is 100% for you!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Homophobia, Sexism, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

vagrantheather's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Death and Lesbophobia