zotty's review against another edition
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Body horror and Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Child abuse
tigerkind's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, and Pedophilia
Moderate: War, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Suicide, Rape, Islamophobia, Drug use, Abortion, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Cancer, and Confinement
Re: PedophiliaSpoiler
This book takes place in a future (past?) where the age of consent is 14 and sex with children (rape, I should say) under that age is commonplace. However, the narrator sees this very critically and judges it. It is only pertinent for about half of the book.thebankofbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, and War
alliee's review against another edition
Graphic: Pedophilia, Child abuse, Trafficking, Police brutality, and Death
magaisonline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Not too keen though, on the tendency the narrative had of putting all of humanity in the same bag for the sake of its connecting narrative. I really wish that just as much as it criticized capitalism in-text, it did the same for colonialism— at times it even felt like it was romanticizing it, just for the sake of a metaphor that didn't quite land.
For example I don't think that colonialism and genocide perpetrated by very white nations when "discovering" the "New Worlds", or mass consumerism and ecocide due to corporatocracy, should've been drawn as a parallel to what happened in Rapa Nui (who's never referred by its actual indigenous name) for a cautionary tale. Even less so coming from a white author.
It does have beautiful turn of phrases though, but I think I would've liked it better as a space opera.
Graphic: Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Genocide
Moderate: Body horror, Fatphobia, Racism, Xenophobia, and Trafficking
Minor: Sexism
Fatphobia, racism, xenophobia, sexism: The first half takes place in a late stage capitalism super city where all isms are present. They're challenged in text. Pedophilia/Child Abuse/Trafficking: MC meets a character that wants to look like a teen to please her pedophilic husband. Later on, the MC has to go talk to the husband while he's in a brothel where child trafficking takes place. Colonialism/Imperialism: Cited and referenced all through the text.freja's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Injury/injury detail, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Pedophilia, Grief, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Rape, Colonisation, Body shaming, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Medical content, Racial slurs, Body horror, War, and Deportation