Scan barcode
julesloyola'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Child abuse, Antisemitism, and Car accident
caintooth'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
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement and Self harm
jenniferbbookdragon's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Grief and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Cannibalism
brookiebridge's review
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Rape, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Blood, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, Torture, and Pregnancy
The book builds up to the reveal of why the main character survived and what happened to him.vespasiana'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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and Cannibalism
Minor: Child death and Trafficking
While all the above things do happen in the book, both on and off screen, the bulk of the plot is about the “before” and “after”. Very little of the extreme or moderate stuff is shown for long, but is referenced very frequently in the “after” sections as something the main character is dealing from the fallout of.nouveau's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Rape, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Pregnancy
ladymickbeth's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Cannibalism, and Murder
Minor: Vomit
This is a beautifully written book with a unique and engaging narrative voice and characters that are flawed, but likeable or understandable. I would have given this a higher rating, but there are a number of micro aggressions (primarily against Emilio, who is Latino) and problematic comments.msagerber'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
conqueringsquid's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
smallredboy'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? No
5.0
Edit a few days after this fact: This is a complex book. It's very much Jewish, even when it deals largely with Jesuits, as it gives you a thousand questions about God (including the good ol' "if God exists, why do horrible things happen?" question) but provides exactly zero answers (maybe half an answer), which is very much a Jewish thing to do. The characters are alive, almost too alive, enough for the foregone conclusion to hurt even before it happens. The way it deals with trauma (mental, physical and sexual) is realistic and cathartic, believable; I feel for Emilio deeply. While I don't know much about science, most of it felt pretty realistic, and I absolutely adored the focus on anthropology and linguistics, as that I understand some more of. The non-linear narrative makes it better, in my opinion; the sinking dread having an understanding of what's going to happen while hope is still high in the air is incredible.
It's a very heavy book, with a thousand trigger warnings to be given. But if you can read it, I really do recommend it.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
Minor: War