Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Thirteen Storeys by Jonathan Sims

16 reviews

artmajorese's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-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

4.0

If you enjoyed the Magnus Archives, you'll probably enjoy this. Jonathan Sims stays true to his brand of spookiness. He also sticks with his characteristic tendency to build slowly on a narrative through small episodic arcs.  

While I enjoyed it, it didn't quite hit 5 stars for me.  It felt both too fast and too slow. By the time I got familiar with a narrator, it changed to a different narrator in a different chapter.  By the last chapter, when all the threads were tied together, I had forgotten which character was which.  Things happened fast for each narrator, but the build of all information together was too slow for my taste, so that when we hit the big reveal it felt rushed rather than foreshadowed and earned.   

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Genocide, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Colonisation, War, and Classism

songofthewolfy's review

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Excellent debut novel by Jonathan Sims! I loved The Magnus Archives, and thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I did feel that the end went a little fast for how much of a build-up there was to the climax. But I found it very enjoyable, and can't wait for more from him!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

Sims uses the listed content warnings to deliver a scathing critique of society. However, he does not shy away from depictions of mental illness, gore, and trauma. Please use discretion.

plumwildflowers's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Police brutality, and Colonisation

Minor: Transphobia

doubledevour's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense slow-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Colonisation

Minor: Transphobia and Police brutality

miss_sunshine's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Cannibalism, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Addiction, Child death, Genocide, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Colonisation

eliza_flamingo1's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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? No

4.25

I loved the horror in this book, I suppose my only complaint is that I could have gone for more time getting to know the characters. It’s still very good as is but sometimes it’s hard to keep track of all of the different characters.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, and Colonisation

Minor: Deadnaming

There’s a ghost child but I don’t know if that couldn’t as a dead child specifically, we don’t see her die or anything