Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Orkansäsong by Fernanda Melchor

74 reviews

headachesince03's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

karlee_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

1.0

Maybe I just didn't "get" this book - but it wasn't for me. I have no idea what the point was in the end. Nothing was accomplished. 
Maybe this is in part because of translation, but the rambling and cyclical nature of the prose was also not appealing to me. It initially struck me as stream of consciousness, but began to wear on me as the sentences dragged on. Sometimes full pages in length without a period to be seen. And circling back on themselves to repeat what had already been said, in the same way an anxiety-spiraling mind might make one rave on about the same topic. It did create an unease while reading, which maybe was part of the goal, but it was tedious. 
Overall, not for me. Would not recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Homophobia

Moderate: Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Abortion

Minor: Police brutality

rissryann's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Murder, and Pregnancy

thejellybeany's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Not quite sure what I learnt from this book. It kind of reminds me of that Plato quote, "only the dead have seen the end of war", because that's exactly what life is for the characters in this book: a never-ending war. Against society, against circumstances, against themselves, each one is constantly fighting a war that they know, but would never admit, they can't win. 

But, as with the title, a perhaps more apt analogy would be that of a hurricane. The characters are trapped in its winds, sucked along by its currents. Perhaps they try to position themselves to go somewhere, choose something, but it looks no different to a windsock in the level of autonomy they really have. 

The prose is unique in its style, used to perpetuate this hurricane feeling. Clauses are swept together, hardly room for sentence breaks, and whole events can pass in the blink of an eye, half a page, less than a sentence. It has the two-fold effect of almost forcing the reader to read at pace, but also of hastening the actions of the characters also. Everything feels rash and immediate when it happens in less than a sentence, thus showing us more how little freedom they really have, no room even for a second thought. 

Ultimately there is little hope for these characters. They know little reprieve from their oppressive circumstances, and so must seek it in addiction, obsession, or whatever else they can find to stem the slow leech of life that is reality. And so by doing this they are further trapped in the hurricane, enlisted each in their own personal wars, to be finally put to rest only when they inevitably die some terrible death, as was always going to be the case. 

Good book, marked down because although the level of sex, violence, gore, etc. was clearly a key part of the characterisation and story-telling, getting down to the nitty-gritty and whatnot, it still felt too gratuitous for me. Maybe I'm just a prude though idk. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Abortion, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Transphobia, Blood, Police brutality, and Alcohol

Minor: Racial slurs

maxgdy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

bowden's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, and Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse, Transphobia, Police brutality, and Abortion

michocomilk's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Blood, Police brutality, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Creo que nunca había leído un libro que me diera tanto asco e hiciera que me doliera el estómago del horror. Pensaba que iba a leer una historia de terror sobre unas brujas y sus hechizos pero en realidad es un retrato muy crudo y terrorífico de los hombres y la homofobia y pedofilia en México. Todo está contado como si fuera un chisme veracruzano, fácil y rápido de leer, con personajes que te describen su contexto y te demuestran lo que sienten a cada paso de la historia. Me dejó muy intranquila y aún así quería terminar de leerlo y me gustó reconocer mientras leía palabras que conozco porque también usa mi mamá veracruzana. "Suyo, carajo, finalmente, suyo; suyo para estrujarlo entre sus pinches brazos."

mvegag's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

21maximillian's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Transphobia, Police brutality, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

town_scar's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

2.5

As another review put it, this book is utterly horrific and yet I couldn't put it down. Mostly because it was short and I wanted to be done with it already, but also because the prose is well written even if the content of it is nauseating. I'm not shy of horror, but this was a step too far for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Abortion, and Abandonment

Minor: Car accident

Graphic, on page depictions of most things but most notably: assault of a minor by a parent, assault of a minor by a sibling, beastiality, physical abuse between parental figure and child, prostitution, murder, drug use, etc. Not for the faint of heart.