Reviews tagging 'Death'

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

195 reviews

behindherpages's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Rape

Moderate: Suicide, Stalking, Alcoholism, and Physical abuse

Minor: Bullying, Death, and Body shaming

khloefrompluto's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Definitely check trigger warnings for this book! 

This was a dark read. I couldn't put it down. The depths it goes to is a lot. The emotions you go through reading it is raw and feels very real. I had to check it was actually fiction multiple times.

Relating to a lot of Vanessa's feelings and confusion was both comforting and disturbing at the same time. 

I couldn't not rate this 5☆'s as I believe it was very well written and can really make you see how easy it is to be in the situation and be made to feel it's your fault. 

Although it's only March I can tell this will be one of my very top books of the year and I'll be thinking about it for quite some time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Rape, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Alcohol and Grief

Minor: Animal death, Death, and Death of parent

alexandramallia's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Death, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Suicide

thegingerpire's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.75

Couldn’t put it down. It was like being repeatedly punched in the gut and I mean that in the best way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Rape, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Emotional abuse

nina_mk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Rape, Animal death, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Grief, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Body shaming, Addiction, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, and Chronic illness

Minor: Classism, Fatphobia, Stalking, Eating disorder, Bullying, and Lesbophobia

ruby_24's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Death, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, and Addiction

miwandie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

Should’ve

killed himself

sooner. 

Hate the cover. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Sexism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Suicide, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Domestic abuse

mshantea's review against another edition

dark informative sad tense medium-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

5.0

This book really shows you the point of view of someone who was taken advantage of who thinks they weren’t and you go through this journey with her. It was so well written in my opinion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Suicide, Child abuse, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

eliseilou's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

Torn between 3 and 4 stars as I liked the book but thought it started to drag a little after the 50% mark. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Rape, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Slavery, and Stalking

Minor: Death of parent

nineinchnails's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.5

i feel weird reviewing and even rating this book considering the subject matter because even though it's technically fiction it feels horribly invasive, like reading someone's diary. it is very well written with beautiful prose and a protagonist who is extremely real and raw. the book did run a little long, especially considering there was little character development outside of vanessa but overall it was an extremely gripping read.

i would not recommend reading this as a survivor of rape and especially of child sexual abuse, more because of how adamant vanessa is that she was not abused than how graphic the abuse is written. it can be very hard to stomach her constant romanticisation and denial of strane's abuse, despite how obvious it us to us as readers that he manipulated her. 'manipulate' does not feel like anywhere near as strong of a word to portray how he controlled and exploited her.

vanessa is not a 'perfect victim' and she struggles with this well into adulthood; the idea that a woman must be perfectly chaste, perfectly humble, perfectly innocent, and perfectly untouched by the world to be believed or taken seriously as a victim is one that permeates our society to this day. what was she wearing?, she lead him on, she was asking for it, she wanted it. this novel does an incredible job at giving a voice to the many survivors who (unsurprisingly) don't fit that mould and showing a different perspective. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Physical abuse, Death, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Infidelity, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Classism, Drug abuse, Grief, Body horror, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Mass/school shootings, and Vomit

Grooming, Dissociation, Post traumatic stress disorder, Child sexual abuse, and Student/teacher relationship