Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

12 reviews

orlagal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Islamophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

fkshg8465's review against another edition

dark emotional relaxing sad slow-paced

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

2.25

This book made me so angry. The protagonist embodies patheticism, and his whole life can only be described as futile.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

bedtimesnack's review against another edition

mysterious reflective 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

5.0

If you love the feeling of things crystalizing/clarifying in retrospect, you'll love this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, Islamophobia, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, and Grief

theelizabethjoy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

If you have been or are depressed and suicidal, please read this carefully. It does not glorify suicide or death but has deep conversations about it and the longing to not exist. I was in a good headspace when listening to it but I could see myself being pushed closer if I had been in a bad headspace. Gorgeous book, we need more like it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Islamophobia, and Pregnancy

Minor: Racial slurs, Vomit, and War

rheagoveas's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Death of parent

bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

5.0

To be alive! A burden and a pleasure, and I admire MARTYR! for attending to both. In fact, I adore its absurdity, a treat of form aligning perfectly with content. Akbar can clearly write, but what had the novel stand out, for me, is the steadfast commitment to the existential question of what marks a (meaningful) life.

The hype is well-earned.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

Moderate: Blood, Islamophobia, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Homophobia and Deportation

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body horror, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

hannahlee's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

4.25

A gripping, powerful novel from an author whose poetry I've really enjoyed. It was inspiring to see Akbar branch out into prose, which he clearly has a talent for. I was immediately gripped by the characters, and loved the perspectival shifts and the dream sequences. It feels like a young book - an author preoccupied with the difficulties of making art when one is self-conscious about that process, very meta at times - but satisfying, mostly sticking the landing. Still ruminating on how I feel about the ending, but ultimately a really enjoyable read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infidelity and Sexual content

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Pregnancy

buer's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

Martyr is about a Cyrus Shams: a young Iranian American man who is a recovering addict and toys with the idea of suicide, but cannot bring himself to end it until he is convinced that either his life or his death could mean something. As such he is toying with a book of poetry about martyrs across time - people whose deaths meant something, thinking but not wanting to say that his own death would be the capstone to the project. When a friend of his friends convinces him to take a trip to New York to talk to an artist who has turned her imminent death from breast cancer into an art exhibit where she will talk to anyone who comes to the gallery about..whatever they want to talk about. Probably death. 

This is a tale of family, friends, love, substance abuse, trauma, healing, life, death, and meaning. It is told beautifully, oscillating through the perspectives of Cyrus, his father, his mother, and a few other characters. Kaveh Akbar is an incredibly talented writer, digging deep into the meat of addiction and hopelessness with just as much tenderness as he does the profound visuals with which he sets his scenes.

I recommend this book for people who are sad, people who love love, and people who are grappling with death in any capacity.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, Sexual content, and War

skudiklier's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

Kaveh Akbar is one of my favorite poets, so I had high expectations for this book. I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint in the slightest. It actually made me realize that I think novels written by poets is one of my favorite genres of books, because I love them so much.

The writing is phenomenal, as expected. But I was also so drawn in by the characters and the story? And I don't want to give anything away because I think it's probably better if you don't see it coming, but WOW did I not see the plot twist coming. I read most of this book all in one day because I couldn't put it down. It'll stay with me for a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cancer, Racism, Terminal illness, Blood, Islamophobia, Suicide attempt, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Murder