Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Dioses de jade y sombra by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

30 reviews

wooblatoober's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

so glad i read this. i enjoyed it so much & it had an ending that i had wanted to see in a novel for quite some time, which makes it very special. i wasn’t sure about, then eventually loved, the semi-omniscient narration. i thought it was interesting and different, yet wasn’t distracting, & helped to make certain moments more impactful. i felt like something was missing in regards to the romance as i read, but that’s likely purely personal since i couldn’t tell you what it was that i felt was missing. i definitely loved the climax of the story.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

the race through the black road & what happens on it kept me on the edge of my seat. moreno-garcia did an amazing job of writing cassiopea’s descent into irrationality on the black road, & her descent into thinking she’s old, when she “strays” from the path. VERY well-written, as its seamlessness reminded me of my own descents into psychosis that i’ve had. i REALLY appreciated that she chose not only to do the right thing (go to the black road), but ALSO to live her life after. after an entire romantic buildup, an ending where it just simply doesn’t happen, and where the life she’s about to live independently is more romantic than the relationship she would have had, is very special to me. i also like that the reader is unsure whether she’ll be able to be with him after her death, or, better put, after her life. i almost like to think it won’t happen, & that that’ll be okay. but i also like the idea of him watching her fall deeper in love with life, while falling deeper in love with her. but i think i like the first one more. it’s melancholy & beautiful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

jilljilljill's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Gore, Misogyny, and Violence

Moderate: Suicide, Murder, and War

Minor: Racism, Self harm, and Slavery

arydberg's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Self harm, and Suicide

aduncan1's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Prose is well executed, plot and characters interesting.

the ending left something to be desired. I’m okay without a “happily ever after” but I don’t know exactly what justifies the ending here.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm and Suicide

darumachan's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

3.0

I loved Velvet Was the Night and Mexican Gothic for their lush settings, mysterious atmosphere, and vibrant storytelling, but Gods of Jade and Shadow fell rather flat for me.  
- characters were either cliched not explored enough
- romance felt unnecessary and out of place -- almost as if an editor wanted it added in 
- despite a lot of high-stakes situations and interesting-sounding challenges, I never felt really engaged -- the tension was just not there 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Self harm

Moderate: Religious bigotry

liesthemoontells's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-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

4.25

Thoughtful, lyrical, and charming. A beautiful fantasy infused with a cultural background and mythology that many western readers may not be aware of, but written in a way that was engaging and accessible to newcomers, and with a gorgeous ending. A very welcome entry into the "reimagined Death God" subgenre.

Good for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, or Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

town_scar's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

This was a beautifully written myth and tale. It's use of prose was outstanding and it painted beautiful (and delightfully horrifying) images in my mind.

My main struggle was that some of the time transitions were jarring enough that I fell out of the story and got confused as to what was going on. This was largely in the first third of the book. 

Nonetheless, it was a riveting story and a fantastic tale. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it has given me a far deeper appreciation of Mexico and it's many indigenous cultures. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy

margaret_k30's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: Classism

Minor: Death of parent

teeticker's review against another edition

adventurous challenging inspiring mysterious 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm

toopunkrockforshul's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.0

This book had a lot of potential in concept but just really failed to execute on anything. Truly not sure what the point of it was.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt