Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee

12 reviews

laurareads87's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

I don’t know why I left so long between reading Ninefox Gambit (which I read in 2020) and picking up this sequel; I really wish that I hadn’t. While this installment felt more approachable and easier to follow than the first – the first really drops you in a world without much, if any, explanation – I did wish I remembered more detail from Ninefox. There is a lot I liked about this – consistent pacing, an interesting cast of characters (though some POVs I did find more interesting than others), fascinating political dynamics and questions; though military sci-fi is isn’t really my usual go-to, Yoon Ha Lee does it so well. The big twist in this one was massively satisfying to me – I didn’t exactly see it coming, and it sets up some really interesting possibilities for the third book without just feeling like a ‘middle book.’ I will absolutely finish this trilogy & probably pick up the collection of related short stories. 

Content warnings: violence, death, murder, war, torture, genocide, suicidal thoughts, suicide (in a battle context), genocide, grief, incest (involving adults only) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Murder, Grief, Genocide, Violence, War, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

pedanther's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, Torture, Genocide, and War

Moderate: Gore, Medical content, Self harm, Child death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Murder, Cursing, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Body horror, Colonisation, Infidelity, Rape, Alcohol, and Drug use

hexillith's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Genocide, War, and Death

Minor: Transphobia, Incest, and Suicidal thoughts

grandiose_r's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Murder, Violence, War, and Incest

Moderate: Blood, Gore, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, and Terminal illness

Minor: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Child death, Sexual content, and Transphobia

mandkips's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Genocide

Moderate: Confinement, Torture, and Incest

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Child death

lucystolethesky's review

adventurous challenging 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Terminal illness, Incest, Death of parent, Suicide, Genocide, Violence, Gun violence, and Death

Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Confinement

ailsaod's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a good read but suffered the same problem as the first of being mildly incomprehensible at times. When I knew what was going on I was having a great time but sometimes I felt like I was trying to read the book in French. I will say, the mind games regarding the Cheris/Jedao situation were fun! Is it Cheris? Is it Jedao? Some unholy combination? Not only were the other characters having to deal with it but I also was constantly having to recalibrate my opinion! 
However, really didn't enjoy the genocide that happens and the weird incest was... a lot? This trilogy is very much an experience and you just have to accept that the author has made some unusual choices. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide

Moderate: Incest, Body horror, and Terminal illness

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Child death

intoblossom's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death, and War

Moderate: Body horror, Genocide, Incest, Suicide, and Torture

Minor: Death of parent and Sexual assault

ellisdex's review

challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Murder, Genocide, Grief, Death, Colonisation, Body horror, and Child death

Moderate: Torture, Rape, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Kidnapping, Drug use, Death of parent, Confinement, and Child death

Minor: Alcohol and Transphobia

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

3.0

As I said after the first book, I typically don't read sci-fi because I dislike its common tropes and dyanmics, which this book was full of. If you enjoy sci-fi, you might enjoy this one too! I did enjoy LGBTQ and gender non-conforming characters getting to exist in a world without prejudice, though. I also loved that the author, who is a mathematician, worked mathematics into the story world so that mathematicians are extremely important. I didn't so much enjoy that every character was depicted as being so empathetically corupt that I didn't believe their genuine character traits. Is this character genuinely interested in his green onion plant, or is he trying to manipulate everyone around him or grow a bomb? Is that character genuinely having a moral chrisis about this messed up situation, or are they trying to manipulate everyone around them? Who knows! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Incest, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence