Reviews tagging 'Death'

Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

7 reviews

aliireads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective relaxing tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Good book! Very sad and hard to read at times. A little frustrating with Yara’s family and upbringing, but the ending is good. The last 1/3 kind of drags on, but the book was good overall. It covers abuse, spousal abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, depression, anxiety, etc. definitely a heavy book, but it also has some very sweet moments. Everyone deserves a friend like Silas. I would recommend it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Mental illness, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

notthatcosta's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

My favourite parts of the book were the loving descriptions of cooking Palestinian food and the exploration of generational trauma, both of which resonate particularly hard considering the plight of Gaza. On the other hand, the dialogue felt a bit static and watered down at points which pulled me out of the story often - as did the reputation of the physical manifestations of Yara's grief. 

As a Cypriot, stories about the Nakba and reverence for olive trees and our ancestral land hit me hard and add gravitas to the ways in which Yara's heritage informs her struggles and create conflicts within her head. 

The journal entries are challenging to read, and Yara's lack of self belief make it hard to root for her at points because of the extent to which she is suffering from generational trauma and PTSD, but ultimately the sense of liberation and self-discovery feels really earned and grounded with the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and War

shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Death of parent, Death, and Abandonment

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Death, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Racism, Cursing, Misogyny, War, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Death of parent, and Physical abuse

Minor: Islamophobia

louiepotterbook's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Misogyny, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness

scmiller's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Grief, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and War

Moderate: Body shaming, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, and Infidelity

kimveach's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

Once again, I'm a lucky girl.  This was another Goodreads giveaway.  The only problem with this Uncorrected Proof is that there are no dedications, epigraphs, or author notes.  I'll have to get a library copy to see what those were!  

I loved this beautiful story of a young mother struggling to make sense of her life.  As in her previous book, she looks at Palestinian Americans, a group I know little of.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Dysphoria, Abandonment, Misogyny, Grief, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Islamophobia, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: War, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Deportation, Confinement, Genocide, and Colonisation