Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Зигги Стардаст и я by Джеймс Брендон, James Brandon

4 reviews

miloblue's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

This book was super hard. There’s a lot of violence and self-harm and racism and internalized homophobia. That said, it is set at a super interesting and important time in queer history… and by extension American history.  Though fictional, it’s a part of history that we didn’t really study in school, and that certainly adds some context. 

There is also a lot of music and pop-culture woven through the book, with the main characters listening to a lot of records and finding affinity with David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and Aladdin Sane, among other albums.

As of this writing I’m giving it 3.75 stars, and I’m really not sad that I read it, but it’s a heavy one, to be sure.
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the_true_monroe's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

This book was intense, sad (yet funny), and beautiful. I think despite how much was accomplished and complete/ resolved (and by complete/ resolved, I don’t mean ‘all is well and good’ but ‘okay, that answers that’) I felt there were many other characters I wanted to hear from again. I just feel like there were abrupt ‘tie-offs’ to a few side characters.  

I think the variety of reactions to Jonathan and Web’s stories allows most queer people to relate on some level but it is really interesting to view with the historical and cultural lenses which are more specific to the characters, location and time period. 

I have recently come to love queer historical fiction and books like this are why.
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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was so good but ow my heart.

Rep: white gay male MC, Native American (Oglala Lakota Nation) gay male love interest, Black biracial cishet female side character, a couple Native American (Oglala Lakota Nation) side characters.

CWs: bullying, homomisia/homophobia, racism, alcoholism, addiction, attempted sexual assault, racial slurs, violence, xenophobia, medical trauma, electroshock therapy, conversion therapy, hate crime, past mentions of police brutality and murder, death of parent, alcohol consumption, drug use, torture, child abuse. Moderate: consensual sexual content, pedophilia, colonisation, emotional abuse, misogyny, transmisia/transphobia. 


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space_bandit's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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