Reviews tagging 'Murder'

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

125 reviews

gkaltam's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, and War

internationalreads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

katrinarose's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

So heartbreaking, especially knowing that the revolution is still ongoing in Syria. Salama is so strong, the things she goes through are more than anyone (never mind an 18 year old) should experience. Still, Katouh doesn’t ever write her story without hope. I also liked her writing style, poetic but not overly flowery.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, and Pregnancy

bbethcasas's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

A heartbreaking telling of the atrocities that have occurred in Syria for so many years to a people who simply want to live their lives with the ones they love in their homeland, free to live and love in peace. 

The rich language and beautiful storytelling in this book will keep your full attention. Readers will want to live within Salama and Kenan’s beautiful story, but pray for the book to end so the anguish and fear will be over. 

There are so many other countries enduring these same unthinkable agonies that we know so little about because, for whatever reason, the stories aren’t newsworthy or because the rest of the world has become so complacent to what is going on outside its own borders. Pray for Syria and countries just like her where the innocent are being tortured and suffering to death for their inherent right to live a free life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

bella613's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Highly recommend this book! 
I cried so hard. This one is a lot to handle but it's so worth it. I feel like I learned more from it as well- even though it's fictional, events that happen are based on real things. 
I picked up this book because I saw somewhere that Zoulfa Katouh is ARMY and that sparked my interest. The audiobook doesn't include her acknowledgments, and honestly I want to buy this book in print eventually because I want it in my personal library. 
This is a beautiful, heartfelt, raw work of art. I'm glad I read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pregnancy

ruc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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 abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Vomit, Trafficking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

stressiex's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and War

eunnerd's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Poignant, heavy, and grief-stricken. I appreciate this book for opening my eyes to the horrors of war. The hospital scenes were especially hard to read and that plot twist punched me hard in the face.

Writing style was a hit or miss. Some moments were great while others a bit cheesy. I wasn't a fan of the out of place anatomical terms and overly repetitive studio ghibli references. Overall, it was unique read that made me appreciate freedom even more. Solid 4.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Medical content, and Murder

morgasm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I was on the verge on tears for essentially the entire book. Although the book is about Syria, I could not stop thinking about Palestine and the refugee crisis as well. Astounding book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, and Injury/Injury detail

multitalented_egg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

One of the most beautiful, thought-invoking books I've read in a while. It follows a young girl, Salama, through the horrors she faces during Syrian war, her guilt, her loss, the difficult decisions she has to make everyday, as well as the people she meets along the way. Reading this book evokes emotion from the first till the last page; whenever you think her story can't get more tragic, it does. 
It also shows how Salama suffers from PTSD, which materializes in the form of a man named Khawf - which literally translates to 'fear' in English. 
This story features the blooming of hope in a battered heart that believes hope is a luxury, and a brain that creates multiple coping mechanisms to help its owner keep up. 
But most of all, it shows the suffering of those who are ignored, whose lives are mere numbers, who are forgotten after the bullet goes through their skulls, and the rigid dichotomy between the suffering of the Palestinians and Syrians. 
With a halal romance subplot going on,  this book is a refreshing representation, and a perfect segue into educating ourselves more about the unfortunate.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and War

Moderate: Gun violence, Police brutality, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault and Torture