Reviews tagging 'Torture'

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

92 reviews

laurak483's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Torture

kukazashi's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Abortion, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail

jesslinkletter's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? Yes

5.0

I will be emotionally devastated by this book for years to come. I found myself unable to put down He Who Drowned The World and was completely enraptured by all the twists and turns it took. The way Parker-Chan has captured such complex characters that you simultaneously empathize with their struggles and emotions but are horrified by the brutal extents their actions reach is unlike anything I've ever read. I cried my way through so much of this book as I saw what the characters went through and what fraught emotional states their trauma led them to. By the end, it seemed as though every character had descended into madness. This was an incredible feat of storytelling. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Murder, and Dysphoria

Minor: Infidelity, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

abnormal_shadow's review against another edition

5.0

The twists, the turns, the death, the life the way that the story interacts with itself. The way it fuels itself and how you can see and sense the characters losing their resolve or failing to achieve their goal. Additionally the Strain that desire puts on the characters and the people around them is just so amazing. This is the first time that I've seen wanting something and having desire pictured as something both good and bad, selfishness that can be wielded into determination.

I love how religion and the belief system of this period mingle in with the story so well how Buddhism is so effortlessly referenced consistently. And oh my God the ghosts I love the way that the ghosts interact with the story being both a conscious member of the plot and a subconscious anchor it is absolutely astonishing.

I absolutely love this book and it's probably one of the best duology I have read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Deadnaming and Abortion

Minor: Child death

itisnatal's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Death, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement and Blood

plsreadthebooksyoualreadyhave's review against another edition

medium-paced

• 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Torture, Grief, and War

cursiveknight's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Torture, and Murder

jesshaleth's review

dark emotional 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

If there had been slightly fewer moments meriting a content warning it would've been 5 stars for me, so maybe it will be for you. But yeah - I think it ticked more content warnings than it didn't, so, at your own risk.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

lfancher's review against another edition

The book became too gratuitous with graphic violence, sadomasochism, and sexual violence.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, and War

dreadspawn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Abortion, and Pregnancy