Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

22 reviews

harpoonholly's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Audiobook review. First thing, Robin Miles is an amazing actor who puts so much passion in the words written, even the post-credits and IP legalese. She is a full cast in a single person, her characterizations are so good. I'll be getting the sequel to this book, "The World We Make" to hear her act again.

I'll also get the sequel because NK Jemisin is an amazing writer. I'm fascinated in the personification of concepts and to personify cities is to maximize adds greater complexity because of course it has to. I also like how she goes about acknowledging Lovecraft's literary contributions (northeastern U.S. sublime, dread, and monsters) and shining a scalding light over his overt bigotry that was startling even for his time. 

10/10, would recommend, especially the audiobook. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Homophobia, Racism, and Body horror

Moderate: Misogyny, Police brutality, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Addiction, and Alcoholism

brianneh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Racism, Antisemitism, Racial slurs, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders

literarycavy's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Colonisation, Homophobia, and Racial slurs

Minor: Genocide

stefhyena's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a fantastic book. It's a super-hero fantasy but so anti-racist that white fragility may be very offended by it (if they understand what they are reading). 5 stars does not indicate perfection. I did find it overexplainy in parts and I am not a fan of the multiverse -everything you decide splits realities idea as I think the way it is written in most places (including here) has some logical flaws.

At the same time it's a good fast-paced, original and engaging plot. It's well constructed so you find out what is going on in increments and this keeps you curious. Probably the first half of the book was stronger than the second but by then you are well invested and there is still something of worth. I don't know how to talk about the main point without spoilers. Maybe I will just say that you can feel very sorry for someone and wish they would heal without liking how toxic they have let their pain make them. And I guess all the parts of the city had experienced pain and challenge. Perhaps the toxicity of white people is shown to be even squishing/abusing their own. No accident I would say that the woman wears white.

The terrible artists collective white-male-fragility was all too believable. I don't like to be snide about man-buns as over here they tend to be more lefty and it's right-wingers who mock that (Ok so my kids have sported man-buns)....but the rest of it so true. I've seen a similar scene in poetry circles. Your work is offensive but it is also crude and inept on a technical level. LOL every time there was a scene where racists get blasted or injured I was happy. I would have like more of that TBH.

The city ultimately was not completely loveable...I know this is realism but I was kind of annoyed at the helicopter parents and standardised tests at the end, TBH those seemed like weapons of the "Better New York" society (ie the bad guys). So at that point the author-capable as she is over-reached and her snark degenerated into preciousness...and then the ending was sappy too.

At the end of the day though it's a super-hero story. It would make a good film and is no doubt deliberately written that way. It almost demands a sappy ending doesn't it? With a hint that there may or may not be sequels. 5 stars because there was a lot here.

Make sure you Google-lens the cover. That was fun :)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia

Moderate: Domestic abuse

It's not portraying them as good. It's a pretty honest and useful look at these traumatising themes but it's not nice.

breadwitchery's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Xenophobia, Racism, Transphobia, and Homophobia

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Violence

Minor: Police brutality, Cursing, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Cancer, Alcoholism, and Abortion

kirstenf's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Death, Police brutality, Genocide, and Racism

Moderate: Colonisation, Ableism, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Xenophobia, Sexism, Alcohol, Cursing, and Domestic abuse

lambda_pi's review against another edition

funny reflective sad 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia and Rape

Moderate: Abandonment and Domestic abuse

jazhandz's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Cursing, and Racism

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Racial slurs

Minor: Lesbophobia and Transphobia

marissasa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective 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

This wasn't a book I think I'd pick up on my own but I'm glad I did for the Read in Color Book Club's February pick and stepped out of my usual reading genres. I genuinely enjoyed the weirdness and creativity of the concept of cities in the world personified, despite the story being a little slow at the start. Once we got a look into each character and their personalities I started to enjoy the book and felt compelled to know what would happen once they all came together. I love "found family" tropes, especially ones where the characters have to work to trust each other and build relationships. It was also great to see a diverse range of protagonists not just in ethnicity, but sexuality, age, and general walk of life too. The enemy in this narrative is so fascinating that it can be so foreign and alien-like yet also all too familiar in the way it uses white-supremacist and colonizer language as weapons. Overall I'm intrigued and curious to see what happens in the next installments of the series, especially when the scope gets wider and we learn more about the summit what effects a city's birth or downfall have on the rest of the world. Also, the audiobook played a huge part in my enjoyment of this one and I don't think I would have been as immersed in the story without it. The narrators were great and did a lot for the overall characterizations of the main cast, as well as great world building with the sound effects and editing.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Islamophobia, Body horror, Colonisation, Rape, Alcoholism, Classism, Cursing, Misogyny, Violence, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

Minor: Cancer, Drug abuse, and Drug use

celines_schemes's review against another edition

2.75

The story telling was objectively good but I found the concept hard to grasp. Also, the plot was VERY slow to pick up. So all in all, a good book but maybe not my cup of tea.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Homophobia and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Abortion, Sexual violence, and Rape