Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Une braise sous la cendre by Sabaa Tahir

20 reviews

apple_atcha_reading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

imskylow's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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? No

4.5

Pleasantly surprised by this novel. I feel like I haven’t read a good political fantasy YA in a long while. All the characters have depth and emotion and the conflict feels real, too real at times especially with the genocides happening in the world. Laia is a fabulous FMC. She’s determined without being arrogant and unfeeling. She’s not a pick-me, she’s an I’ll-try-my-best. Elias is an intriguing character as well. A++

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying and Blood

bluerskies's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I liked the author’s writing style and storytelling. Unfortunately, I found the female main character, Laia to be annoyingly naive. It’s still worth the read for the world-building and the plot. I’m sure I’ll read this again and maybe Laia will be less annoying the second time around??

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Police brutality, and Classism

Moderate: Abandonment and Sexual harassment

emilywemily6's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense 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? No

5.0

Wow. Just wow… this book was a lot emotionally. I found myself so invested that I couldn’t look away even if I was so scared for the fates of these characters. There are high stakes all over the place!! The writing is beautiful, the characters are dynamic and nuanced, and I just want more. While classified as a YA fantasy, it wasn’t written with immature characters or simplistic writing. Even if it was put in the adult section, I would still give this five stars. I cannot start the next book fast enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Suicide, Vomit, Medical content, and Pregnancy

abby_can_read's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense 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? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed this book. I liked the worldbuilding. The characters were good and I liked their relationships. I struggled with the writing style of alternating first person POV in the present tense. The plot was good though a little predictable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, and Murder

pumpkincore's review against another edition

I liked a couple of the side characters, but couldn't get into the main perspectives enough to wait for their appearances. The writing was fine, if a little lazy and predictable. The world building was lazier. Do it or don't.

There's an audience out there, and I've recommended it to several friends who I think would enjoy it more than me. I read the first half and then skimmed the second half for book club. Nothing caught my interest enough to make me slow down, so I'm not considering it "Read."

I am also desperately exhausted by the constant rape allusions, especially in a YA book. This book should have the characters aged up 3 years and thrown into adult fantasy. The plot doesn't fit the ages. I threw all of the CWs in graphic because they come up a lot and are intrinsic to the plot, regardless of how they're described.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Murder, and War

theintrovertsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Cursing, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

alexasolis98's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

5.0

First, I do not understand how this book is marketed as YA. 
As for my reread of this book after 9 years, this book hurts so much. There is so much darkness yet people are still able to have hope and kindness. I worry about Helene, Laia and Elias. I don't trust Keenan. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Abortion

rachelfayreads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Slavery, Torture, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

sh543's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail