Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

202 reviews

adearajean's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

A quick read/listen. Parts felt underdeveloped. It focused on the atmosphere/history instead of plot and there were times I wanted more but worth a listen. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Slavery, Grief, and Death

megan1002's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

Wow. This book is so painful and profound. The writing is so beautiful and impactful. This is proof that beautiful writing can be simple.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Genocide

lue_moon's review against another edition

5.0

Overall excellent. Better worldbuilding in a short amount of time than the first 150 pages of other fantasy books I have read. Though I wouldn't have minded existing in that world for longer, it's a complete story that makes a strong impact, including beautiful exploration of ancestral/generational/cultural trauma, memory keeping, and how that is processed/stored within bodies.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Genocide, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Animal death and Pregnancy

grace_b_3's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

This a very meditative novella that touches on memory, history, and community. This definitely feels like a book that sits with you. While I wish that the world-building was a little bit more developed, I understand that that is not the point of this book. It says what it needs to say.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Death

Moderate: Slavery

artemis7's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Grief, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Murder

cassidy_99's review against another edition

inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Slavery and Murder

sophia_ryann's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Slavery

Moderate: Colonisation and Grief

Minor: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

kaymaxwell's review against another edition

adventurous 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Colonisation, Genocide, Blood, and Slavery

bucketsjen's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.5

The children of pregnant African women thrown overboard by slavers have adapted to the water and built their own society. They appoint one person every generation to be the Historian that holds all of their memories - but the current historian is struggling as the only person holding the awareness of pain and history. She returns the memories and flees, leaving her people to grapple with their history alone as she tries to find herself... but of course, their unprocessed pain effects everything.  

Has themes of cultural, generational, and personal trauma, the pain of being the only one who Knows and Understands, and processing/healing to move forward.  It's REALLY well done. While the subject matter is heavy, it's managed deftly and the book is surprisingly healing to read.

I really recommend the audiobook for this one. Daveed Diggs does an incredible job, and the work's musical history really lends it to auditory retelling.  There's an Afterward by Diggs which was an awesome addition to the story (he's funny and insightful).

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Violence, Self harm, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death

Animal death, Attempted suicide, Grief, Hallucinations, Slavery (past), Self-harm, Trauma (personal, generational, cultural), violence, references to familial death.

numerous_bees's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Colonisation, Blood, Child death, Slavery, Genocide, Pregnancy, and Animal death

Minor: Racism, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury