kitabtrovert06's review
- 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? No
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, and Gun violence
Moderate: Colonisation
lizard800's review
- 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? No
3.5
Graphic: War, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Racism
Moderate: Slavery, Sexual assault, and Death
villenview's review
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Racism, and Sexism
notthatcosta's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
However, the middle section loses a lot of steam for me and ended up spending far too long hovering over tired literary tropes before kicking back into gear for the ending, which was saved by an excellent epilogue. What took me out of the book was how it sometimes directly placed itself within the 1800s in every sense and other times featured dialogue that felt like contemporary Twitter discourse about colonialism.
Tonally the book was confusing, the motivations for the characters were sometimes unclear, but it is the masterful use of the discipline of translation that keeps the book grounded in intricacy and care.
Graphic: Abandonment, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicide, Sexual assault, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, and Violence
stephlikestoread's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Torture, War, and Vomit
butterfly_seraph's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, and Grief
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Torture, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, and Gun violence
Minor: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, War, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Drug use
lucaslovesbooks's review
- 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
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Death, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual assault and War
straw's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual assault
henriediosa's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Blood, Torture, Suicide, Racism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Cultural appropriation, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Child abuse, War, Vomit, Gun violence, Violence, Addiction, and Bullying
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Confinement
aimicha's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Colonisation, and Racism
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Sexual assault