Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Things She's Seen by Ezekiel Kwaymullina, Ambelin Kwaymullina

8 reviews

lwylde14's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Child death

Minor: Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Car accident

skybluespines's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

4.0

Deeply moving. This YA novel deals with such heavy topics skillfully and creatively. I have trauma around car accidents and death, and didn't realize that would be part of the story, but handled sensitively and was not as triggering as I thought it would be. The other (much heavier) topics in the book were also handled with beautiful sensitivity, giving voice to victims in a way that was artistic, for lack of a better word. Grateful for this read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Car accident, Grief, Pedophilia, Torture, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Rape, Murder, and Kidnapping

rockyroadbutch's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? No

5.0

Incredible and emotional. Powerful. Using stories and colors, metaphors and realism to tap into core emotional experiences. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Child death

Moderate: Rape, Colonisation, Violence, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Car accident, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Most of the story is told in metaphor, so very little is explicit. Fire and death are the most explicit.

careinthelibrary's review

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

I finished The Things She's Seen (known as Catching Teller Crow in some countries) by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina today. It's one I've owned for a while and finally got around to it. 

On the surface it's a YA ghost story and mystery, but there is so much bubbling under the surface here. The "enduring strength of Aboriginal women and girls" despite facing disproportionate, horrific violence, the direct and indirect impacts of the Stolen Generations which I want to learn more about, ancient storytelling of Aboriginal peoples. A ghost story, a crime thriller, found sisterhood, father-daughter growing their relationship beyond the barrier of death. 

It's a lot wrapped up in a short, fast novel. This hits the ground running and the pace rarely lets up. Its wide array of genres and themes makes me think it would appeal to a lot of different kinds of readers. I wish it had a more striking cover that captured the themes and tone of the book better. 

Death is only the beginning. And the end is the beginning that hasn't happened yet.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Colonisation, Rape, Murder, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Death, Confinement, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Car accident, and Racism

kateybellew's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Colonisation, Murder, and Child abuse

gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

This story is one that has stayed with me after finishing it. It might not be a long book but it spends every page crafting an impactful story. 

This books mainly focuses on grief and coming to terms with loss. This is done through a few characters that we met through out the book, but the main being Beth Teller's father. The book deals with grief and loss through a case that Beth's father is trying to solve. It is also through this case that the author shows the discrimination against Australian Aboriginals endure. From cold cases of missing young aboriginal girls, how they are taken advantage of, and the racisms that is present through the country.

I thought this is a well crafted book and something that will keep you thinking long after you have finished. I highly recommend this read for the story and the characters that go through very real emotions and reactions to everything.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual violence, and Grief

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, and Death

Minor: Death of parent

emily_mh's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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? No

4.5

The mystery storyline of this book was great and kept the plot moving, but I also loved that the mystery wasn’t the point of the book. Its significance lay in its exposure of the brutality of colonisation, and its beautiful and heartbreaking exploration of grief. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Child abuse, Death, Grief, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Racism, Gore, Body horror, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Medical content, Drug use, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Ableism, Bullying, Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, and Self harm

Colourism, the Stolen Generations, police corruption

lilcoppertop's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, Confinement, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Car accident, and Death

Minor: Torture, Sexual violence, and Rape