Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

By Way of Sorrow by Robyn Gigl

3 reviews

librerin's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

It was interesting to read a mystery written from more of a lawyer/law perspective.  It was a challenging read also because it was set in the early 2000s, and the language/treatment of trans characters was accurate to the time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Violence

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Racism

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

mysterious 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? No

2.0

Intriguing format and overall plot, and the author's background in law grants the story a lot of believability (though it does get somewhat cliche at some points). However, the writing style is very dry -- lots of telling and repetition, which dampens the action and any emotional impact, and the dialogue is very scripted and impossible to distinguish between most characters, with the one exception being a grimace-inducing attempt at AAVE from a white author. The characters are pretty flat in general, and a lot of the suspense is also mitigated by scenes expanding on the antagonists' motivations and plans in detail. Definitely some strong commentary on the legal/justice system and violence against trans people, especially trans women of color, but unfortunately not as compelling a read as I had hoped. Still, it is a debut, so I may still check out more of Gigl's writing in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Outing, Transphobia, Hate crime, Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Gun violence, Medical content, and Stalking

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault

Minor: Cancer, Suicide, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Child death, Death of parent, Drug use, Islamophobia, Pregnancy, and Vomit

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious 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

4.0

I’m really glad I read this because it enlightened me further on the special challenges that face transgender people who are just trying to live their lives in peace. The author is a transgender lawyer and her main character is a transgender lawyer defending a transgender woman accused of murder. Nothing about this book is subtle but it’s a well-written, intriguing mystery about characters I’d like to know because I admire them. 

I confess I was a bit disappointed in the plot in the last fifteen pages but that didn’t affect my rating. I’m hoping to read the second in this series to see how lawyer Erin McCabe develops. And a third in the series is being published soon so I can look forward to that, too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Gore, Stalking, Violence, Homophobia, Outing, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexism, and Child abuse