Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Timanttisilmä by Kate Quinn

10 reviews

saliwali's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, War, Violence, Grief, Murder, Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Rape, Sexual violence, Stalking, Mental illness, and Medical trauma

Minor: Xenophobia and Antisemitism

just_jess02's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Mila’s story is fierce, bold, heartbreaking, infuriating, encouraging, fascinating, and freeing. It is so much packed into a thrilling page-turner. I imagine it would be even more poignant if I were reading it myself rather than listening.

The narration was crisp and stiff- something I didn’t like at first but once I saw how well it fit the story, it was one of the many aspects that gripped me. The dualities of each character created depth and complexity that had me wondering where many moments would lead. Each relationship and interaction was important and necessary. Is it odd to appreciate the efficiency of a novel?

I enjoyed the exploration of what happens behind the facade of strong, courageous, women who cannot show weakness or softness to the public eye. It is so nice to read a book about a female protagonist that is truly through the female experience and challenges the expectations of the ‘male gaze’ while still incorporating the struggles it causes. Mila is unapologetically brash because she has to be and understanding the inside of her mind during those moments made my heart ache and my conscious confused. 

 This is so well written, well narrated, and just very engaging overall. It is one you want to sit with and think about but also don’t want to put it down to do so. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Alcohol, War, Murder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Medical content, Abandonment, Blood, and Stalking

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Torture, and Suicidal thoughts

theseasoul's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

|| 4.5 ⭐️ ||

I wasn’t really in the mood for historical fiction when I started reading this, but it turned out to be such a stellar novel that I couldn’t put down! 

The Diamond Eye conveys a slice of real history that is unknown to many of us… it has me freshly fascinated by the fact that so many amazing humans have lived out their entire lives and we have yet to even hear their names. Even the instances of artistic licence taken in this book, in terms of events and certain characters, were tied into the account so well. It’s clear that a ton of research was done by the author in order to achieve this level of flow and continuity in the story, especially when it comes to narrating the story from Mila’s point of view. That displays a lot of skill.

I loved getting to know Mila and the chance to peek into what she may have been thinking and feeling throughout the various events she lived through. A must-read for sure.

|| Content warnings ||

A bedroom scene or two (skip end of chapter 16) and some sexual references throughout (as Mila had a rather chaotic love life, and simply the fact that she was a female soldier). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

cameronmh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

Really beautiful book— easier to digest than her autobiography, but very faithful. Highly recommend the author’s note to anyone who might normally skip it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Violence, Sexism, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Medical content, Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual content and Racism

Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual harassment

ka_ke's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

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

3.0

My thoughts and feelings regarding the Diamond Eye are difficult to explain. 

On the one hand, I chose one hell of a time to pick it up seeing as Russia has cruelly invaded Ukraine and they have been at war for 1.5 years at this point. Therefore, I find myself unable to sympathize with Lady Death and the Russian people as they struggled through Nazi invasion. 

On the other hand, the Diamond Eye is an excellent lesson in the theory of intersectionality and my understanding/belief in it. 

Lyudmila is a Russian woman, a student majoring in history, a single mother whose husband abandoned their family. She is then forced to become an infamous sniper for the Russian army.

So while I can support a woman doing what she feels is right and proper to protect herself and her country, I am torn by my disgust at the present day uncalled-for actions of Russia against the citizens of Ukraine. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Body horror, Classism, Blood, Death, Grief, Violence, War, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Murder, Sexual content, Abandonment, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment

mtnest's review against another edition

adventurous challenging sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, War, and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, and Sexual content

Minor: Racism, Rape, and Vomit

laheath's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

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

5.0

This is one of those books, like others by this author, for which you wish you could pause everything else going on in your life so you could just read! Unfortunately, I had a lot going on, couldn't read often, and it took me longer to finish than I would have liked. This was the gripping story of a female Russian sniper during WWII. She leaves a young son at home to fight the Germans, so there are personal elements to the story as well as well as tales of the battles. Later in the war, she is sent to America as part of a Russian delegation to solicit help from FDR. During this time, she begins a lasting friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt. The author's note explains the extensive research including how much is based on actual events. Of course, I had never heard of this woman before, but hers is definitely a story to be preserved and told as she has a well-earned place in history. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and War

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Sexual content

katekatiekait's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Grief, Blood, Gore, and War

Moderate: Sexism and Alcohol

Minor: Rape and Sexual content

camilleemcl's review against another edition

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing

Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual harassment

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny informative tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I love Kate Quinn's storytelling.  It wasn't as good as The Rose Code for me, because I find code-breaking to be more interesting than being a sniper.  However, the history was new to me and I always enjoy that.  The best parts of the book for me were the parts that were fiction (the author tells you at the end which parts are which.)  I would recommend this for anyone who likes her books or has an interest in the Russian side of WWII.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Vomit, War, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts