Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith

6 reviews

caseymac's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

I can’t stop thinking about this book but I’m not sure how to review it. If you are sensitive to, like, ANY content warnings I think skip this one.  

This single book reads like an epic fantasy series- it’s complex and well-planned with tons of world building, a gruelling hero’s journey… but it’s one book from just 2 POVs with an honestly really lovely romance plot. 

This book is also awful. It repeatedly and emphatically illustrates the worst people can be in great detail. If this were a film it would have been far too violent for me to watch. There is slavery, trafficking, and violent SA galore in this book. It’s hard to read but I don’t think it’s gratuitous. 

I saw one review that said the author could have used an editor and that some of the characters had a straight line rather than a baritone arc. I think that is probably true- but I honestly don’t think that detracts at all. This book is GOOD- so good I literally stayed up all night reading. 

You may find the slow start once it gets to Meoraq’s bit frustrating (I did!) but stick with it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Torture, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Confinement, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Death, Slavery, Trafficking, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Classism, Vomit, and Abortion

sarah2's review

challenging dark emotional tense medium-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

Excellent character development, a strong plot, and loveable but flawed main characters made for an absorbing read.  This is a genre I'm not usually drawn to, but I found myself thoroughly invested.  Will definitely be recommending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Violence, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Rape, and Blood

bookbrig's review

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

0.5

So I finished this, but it was mostly a hate read that I really should have given up on in the first quarter of the book. In my defense, I was on a 10 hour flight with nothing but time, and also I like sci-fi and also also it's got some good world building. Finishing it was still a terrible decision.

It's like 1,000 pages of torture porn and unpleasant people doing deeply horrifying things to each other with intensely graphic scenes of sexual violence and graphic gore. Seriously, 0/10 do not recommend if you have similar taste to me. I have regrets. And I still keep flashing back to the death scene that involved a fish hook and a vein in someone's genitalia because no one has invented brain bleach yet and I made the poor life choice to finish reading that scene. IT WAS A MISTAKE. DON'T BE LIKE ME. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, and Gore

Moderate: Torture

margonaute's review

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Trafficking

harmonhope205's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

The first time I read this book, I dnf at around the 7% mark because I was cruising through sci-fi romance novels like it was a time job, and found this 1,000 page (!) way too slow. I set it down and forgot about it for around two years. However, after stumbling across it again, I decided to look at it not as an bubblegum and fun romance, and instead try and read as serious sci-if epic. And I'm so glad I did! Honestly, it's an amazing mediation on God, religion, soul connections, and good and evil. I know i'll be thinking about this book for a long time to come, and already know that's it the type of book and I will read again  and again. My one recommendations is to mind the content warnings, as this is NOT a light and easy book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, Slavery, Death, Abandonment, Blood, War, Trafficking, Sexual content, Sexism, Misogyny, Murder, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Grief, Animal death, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, War, Violence, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Torture, Suicide, Pregnancy, Murder, Cursing, and Abortion

Minor: Abortion, Child death, Xenophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Drug abuse, and Drug use

atunah's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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: Rape

Moderate: Torture