Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste

38 reviews

stabilesero's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

Mengiste did this story justice; what a beautiful nod to her grandmother and those who fought in the Italian-Ethiopian war; particularly for those who went unrecognised.
I'm really keen to pick up Mengiste's other novels, The Shadow King was beautiful.
It wasn't perfect, I agree with other readers who also said there were a lot of side characters and names to keep up with, but I see why there were so many by the end of the book. A little bit of repetition regarding describing light and surroundings, but again, it didn't put me off. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death

mistercrow's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and War

billie_visible's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, and War

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Antisemitism

kittyka0s's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War

cj_spataro's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

This is a dark, challenging book - at least it was for me. I was very interested in reading about the Italian attempt to colonize Ethiopia and how the Ethiopians managed to defeat the Italians under Mussolini. The novel is told from several points of view - one of which is an Ethiopian female guard to the Shadow King (as Haile Selassie has fled), Hirut. The other is an Italian photographer, sent by the government to document the war. No one comes out of this unscathed and at times, for me, the violence was difficult to read about - especially the sexual violence. The book is beautifully written. The descriptions and evocations of place are masterful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and War

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexism and Death of parent

leahhateshardbacks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

2.5

I really didn't get on with the way this book was wirtten. Between overly written prose that made the most heartbreaking scenes quickly lose value, to the characters' daydreams which are apparently so rich and vivid in their mind that sometimes it was difficult to discern whether what was happening was real or imagined. I didn't like the whole *40 years later* sections that bookended the story, I don't think it was important enough to be how we enter the story, perhaps just at the end would have been better. I was so confused by Aster - does she like Hirut, does she hate Hirut, does she not know herself? Often her actions contradicted the way she verbalised how she felt about Hirut. It takes too long to understand why the book is called The Shadow King; you don't know until about half way through and although it's not a huge demerit it was frustrating as a reader (also The Shadow King, while a great title, is not completely representative of what the story is about... the women and not The Shadow King). Okay now good things!  I liked the bones of the story, the plot was interesting, feeling somewhat like a car crash that you can't help but stare horrified at (in a good way!!) although imo it could have been at least 100 pages shorter, maybe even under 300 pages altogether (cut most of the earlier stuff rather than the later). Most importantly though the main character Hirut was very endearing and easy to root for. A low class young girl sent to be a maid for a rebel and his wife after the death of her parents, Hirut is confused, frustrated, defiant, and fierce, and we see her qualities that hinder her as a maid blossom as she becomes a soldier. Tbh I think it's a bit of an insult that the book isn't named after her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder

emmah_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging

3.5

An important and interesting story! I think this would be a great book for someone who likes battle scenes and who has the stomach for repeated and graphic SA.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

moriahleigh's review against another edition

emotional informative tense slow-paced

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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and War

paperquilt's review against another edition

dark emotional informative medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, and War