Reviews tagging 'Gore'

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

67 reviews

spellbindingtomes's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail

nasab's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Unforgettable story, beautiful strong characters , well executed plot. This book shook me to the core and  played with my heart strings. Simply remembering some scenes in the book brings tears to my eyes because i know that it's not just fiction and these things, and even worse, do happen. 
It feels different reading this after Syria is finally freed from the sadistic rule of Bashar Alasad. I'm really glad that Syrians reclaimed authority over their land and I hope in the next few years their country will grow and bloom. 

I made the mistake of reading this at work, risking weeping in front of patients and coworkers. As I rarely tear up in emotional scenes, crying in public isn't something I'm concerned about. But this book did it, twice even. Reading it broke my heart, I can't comprehend how it affects people living and witnessing the massacre and loss. May god protect us all. 

Salama is a pharmacist. She just finished her second year when her world shifted completely. Her father and brother were arrested. Her mother died in front of her. The only family she has is her cousin Layla who is basically a sister. When her mother died she started seeing hallucinations in the form of Khawf, a tall man in black with bright blue eyes, who is the manifestation of fear. He shows her all the bad possibilities and and increases her mistrust and doubts. What he does to her mental well being is torture, but at the same time it's pretty sane and logical. A good amount of fear is necessary.

Kenan is one year older than Salama and is an animator. He's just the sweetest boy ever, considerate, caring, respectful, thoughtful. I'm just so happy he found Salama and she found him. They desperately needed one another especially Salama. He became her family.

Layla is hope, just as much as Khawf is fear. She helped Salama see the light at the end of the tunnel. Khawf scared her of staying in Syria, while Layla showed her hope in life outside of Syria.

I'm not gonna talk about chapter 29. I don't know why I didn't expect it. I thought she would die of hunger and fever but not that she wasn't there at all. Even thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes. Salama was completely lonely for five whole months. Talking to herself and hugging herself. I shouldn't be surprised considering the amount of trauma she endured. Later she received the news that her father died in prison but her brother's state is unknown, but death is kinder than life in prison. She lost everyone and everything. Her mind conjured Layla at a desperate attempt to keep her from crumbling. Thank God she had Kenan by her side.

Yousef is terribly traumatized. He lost both of his parents and the shock left him mute. He probably has hallucinations just like Salama. This war would tear apart the mental health of an adult let alone a child of thirteen years.

This is the first novel I've read that has halal love! It's wonderful and wholesome and in my opinion I think respecting boundaries and having controll over yourself is so commendable in the character of someone you want to share a lifetime with. His feelings and temptations were always there but he never acted on them until they were married and their relationship not a secret. I hope more novels represent this pure type of love.

When the Syrian revolution started, I was too young to understand why it happened. This book also informed me about the situation in Syria for years. Citizens' anger had been growing for years, and the Arab Spring gave them hope for change, but the dictatorship would rather burn itself and everything in its way to a crisp before backing down.

About the ending, I'm so glad the author didn't leave us hanging and reassured us of our protagonists fate for at least 3 years forward. It warmed my heart and allowed me to leave the book in good spirit.

This is one of the books that never really leave you. It's will definitely be one of my all-time favorites. 

Qoutes:

"Don't you think the Syrian dictatorship is more like a cancer that has been growing in Syria's body for decades, and the surgery. despite the risks, is better than submitting to the cancer?" 

"Auntie, don't cry. When I go to Heaven, I'll tell God everything"

His emotional growth is a plant that people forgot to water, so it tries to capture any moisture it can.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Genocide, Gore, and Forced institutionalization

rebeccakoury's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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

I am absolutely wrecked. I teared up for a bit but then at about 60% I started crying, which turned to sobbing, which turned to covering my eyes and mouth trying to not scream, turned to racing to my husband to get comfort, turned back to reading and crying for the rest of the book.

This story will stay with me forever. I am devastated but I feel honored to have read this story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Gore, and Torture

wyvernsandwords's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring 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: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

nehaanna's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I haven’t cried over a book in years. I’ve read plenty of war novels, novels about trauma and violence and fear and PTSD and unjust regimes and war crimes. But this book tapped into something so honest and wrenching. It’s a privilege to be able to just read about the Syrian Civil War and not ever experience something like it, as Syria did or as Palestine continues to feel. There is so much storytelling about the human range of emotions and ability to survive. Our brains are wired to adapt and overcome in the harshest of circumstances, and this book demonstrates this. 

There is no amount of words for the grief this book inspires. I think I started crying when I read the words “I’ll tell God everything,” and I never stopped. Reading this about a month or so after the Assad regime fell in Syria and a few days into a tentative ceasefire in Palestine, I can only think of the war torn, the displaced, the refugees, the asylum seekers, the ones who fled their country of birth for the chance of life. And now they can return home, their hopes have come to fruition. This book is just one of many stories about so many Salama’s, Kenan’s, Layla’s, Hamza’s, Lama’s, Yousuf’s, Dr. Zaid, and so many more. May their hearts be at peace and their souls at rest.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Confinement, Eating disorder, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

nishath's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, and War

Moderate: Gore

thearielleview's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

marixi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, and War

hufflepuffbiologybuff's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

Excellent and poignant. This book is terrifying and a glimpse into the life of those living on a battlefield within their own town. 
Such an important read for all. This should be a book read in schools for ELA.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

Minor: Rape

shaebutter26's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is HANDS DOWN one of the best books I've ever read! The internal conflict of the main character was very eye-opening to all the horors and heartache refugees and people living in war zones go through. It was an emotionally gripping tale that kept me invested in the plot- I couldn't put the book down! It made me realize how much many immigrants go through and has honestly changed my world view. Thank you Zoulfa Kahout for writing this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Blood