Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

The Bone Ships by RJ Barker

16 reviews

godelewa's review against another edition

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

2.75

In the beginning I was strongly reminded why I prefer to read high fantasy in my native language, it took me a couple of chapters to work out which unknown words are just the nautical vocabulary that my English lacks and which are Barker's unique Hundred Islands words. I got there, eventually - but never got used to ships being male in this world, even though it makes sense in context of the world.
The worldbuilding is the strength of this book. I'm not the most avid fantasy reader anymore, but at least to me the ideas seemed fresh and creative. They make sense, fit well together and we get a vivid glimpse into a world that is very different from ours, but not less harsh. 
Unfortunately, the prose itself is just not very good. The style feels clumsy while desperately trying to be regal and maybe even poetic and in the end it just reads pretentious without any real finesse. 
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abbyxbrandt's review against another edition

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

2.5

I'm disappointed. This could have been 5 stars, but instead it's 2.5 (rounded down) entirely because of the rampant, unchallenged ableism.

The Bone Ships has so much potential. Pirates AND dragons? It's a dream come true for my twelve-year old self (and my present-day self too.) The worldbuilding is vivid and immersive. Unfortunately, the world RKB chose to create is a society where disabled people are second-class citizens. And while this worldview isn't endorsed, per se, it's barely questioned at all. The most frustrating part is it didn't have to be this way. It's not essential to the story. There are plenty of other ways to build a ruthless, unforgiving civilization.

While this story has many strengths, I can't recommend it. And as much as it pains me to have just one book from the trilogy on my shelf, I think I'll be leaving this series unfinished.
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odunayo_y's review against another edition

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4.75

Alien and weird just how I like my fantasy! Peak!
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kastix's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? No

4.5

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rheagoveas's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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miimers's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.75

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whiteraven191's review against another edition

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2.0

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leafandlore's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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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saltycoffee's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

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kylieqrada's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense 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

4.0

My brain is just a pile of goo at this point in my pregnancy, but even though this took me altogether too long to read, I enjoyed it. The first section was a tad confusing due to the worldbuilding, but I ended up loving it. I'm curious to see where the discussion of gender goes in the next book.
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