Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu

3 reviews

sauvageloup's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious 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

3.5

a fun supernatural, dystopian mystery read, enjoyed it.

pros:
- the writing style was different and fun. I got a real sense of who Ropa was and liked her a lot. her character comes through through the writing, with a quirky mix of slang and complicated language and concepts. shes both smart and street smart.
- I also really loved priya and gran as side characters, they were great. priya was a lot of fun to read, and ropa's love for her gran was obvious.
- there was also some lovely descriptions in Huchu's writing, creating a great atmosphere.
- the horror was also genuinely creepy

with the Brounie, the eyeless milkman, the unaging siobhan

- while the mystery was great, the tensions ropa had about still bringing money in and helping her family felt very real. she really feels she has to carry everything and doesnt tell anyone older than her, apart from Callender, who fails her.
- I likes the dystopian Edinburgh a lot, made a nice change from London, and the implied breakdown of society which was hinted at but never entirely explained, was interesting.
- priya's magical wheelchair was fab, really interesting application of magic.
- and the bits of African culture, the mbira helping ground the spirits and gran's magic, were great, enjoyed learning about them.

cons:
- I never got a real sense of Jomo, he seemed quite hapless and not particularly helpful, didnt quite get Ropa's loyalty to him.
- occasionally the slang dialogue did feel a bit forced but not often.
- the two main bits of the plot seemed very disparat .

the creepy brounie house and the children having elixir made from them were only barely linked. 
- I did get a bit frustrated with the refusal to give an in depth explanation of a lot of things, like

the collapse of Edinburgh, why the milkman had no eyes, why only the faces of the kids got old, what happened with Ropa's mum, why Ropa's magic didnt work (tho I guess it said at the end that she just needed to be angry enough), how Priya's wheelchair magic worked (why could she go on ceilings but not up a steep hill?).

I mean, it's a mystery story and a series so some of these are understandable but there did seem to be a bit too much vagueness at times.

but overall, really enjoyed this read :)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Sexism

a past character's gambling addiction is discussed.

pkc's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This was an absolute whirlwind of a book. Edinburgh provided a fitting backdrop for this mysterious plot and rapid fire magic system. It was fascinating. I enjoyed the trips into Scottish mythology and the dystopia-lite feel. By which I mean, society hadn’t fully broken down, but things were FAR from ideal. I struggled a lot with the language. Everything was clipped and there were phrases in there that I’ve never heard anyone use, but honestly more power to them. Give it a bash, but fair warning, it gets DARK. The allegory of the central plot is heavy. The final showdown setting is frankly hysterical to me.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

nicnevin's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious 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

3.75

Good story set in a post-apocalyptic Edinburgh. Plot was pretty good but I would have preferred more worldbuilding stuff because I am unsure where and when the timelines diverged. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism