Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

228 reviews

comfy_anna's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Gore, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Medical trauma, Cannibalism, Body horror, Murder, Body shaming, Vomit, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

Moderate: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Addiction, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Outing, Rape, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Death, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Terminal illness

Minor: Abandonment and Abortion

ceebee86's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

Like with another of Ava Reid's work that I had read, "A Study in Drowning", I found this to be a slog at first, and then right towards the end she manages to tie everything up neatly.

I am not fully convinced of its "horror" label. There were moments where I thought it was disturbing and gross for sure--just like The Juniper Tree fairy tale. But this was more sad than anything.

I found Marlinchen to be a bit aggravating at first but it really does just take some getting used to. She's not so much aggravating as she is sad. The profound effects of abuse permeate her very mentally ill mind.

On this subject I thought the novel really hit. It was very real. The parental and sexual abuse, the honeymoon reconciliation and the rest of the stages in the cycle of abuse, the way siblings grow to use each other for their own survival, and the trauma bonding, were all just so so real.

My one major gripe is that it did slip into a repetitive or redundant style. The book mentions breasts and nipples a lot. And yeah maybe there was an intent to it thematically, but at some point it just became too much. I was tired of it. 

And also the constant "I am ugly and my two sisters are beautiful" schtick. I get it. Characterizing women only by their one most defining physical feature is very much a fairytale trope, but it's so tiresome in the context of a contemporary novel.

I believe Reid said this book thematically revolved around the advancement of society under capitalism. That was an undercurrent across the book as a whole. And I thought it established the atmosphere and setting really well.

Overall, a decent read but not for the impatient or those with weak stomachs.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Child abuse, Classism, Eating disorder, Gore, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Cannibalism, Confinement, Mental illness, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcoholism and Antisemitism

ktame001's review against another edition

dark sad medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Grief, Violence, Vomit, Sexual content, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Addiction, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, and Alcoholism

mal_speaks_profanities's review

challenging dark emotional tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

maebae's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Vomit, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Eating disorder, Animal death, and Death of parent

louiepotterbook's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

2.75

This book was entertaining for the most part but certain aspects of it left me kinda grossed out and confused. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Self harm, Death, Dysphoria, Gore, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Vomit, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Xenophobia

there is cannibalism in this book as well as a scenes where the characters are turned on by gore.

princegene95's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Gore, Cannibalism, Body shaming, Vomit, and Blood

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Death, Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Animal death, Sexual content, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Alcoholism

Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Medical content, and Medical trauma

kng_writes's review against another edition

2.5

Ehhhh, not for me. Just goes to show that pretty prose and a cool concept does not automatically mean a good writer. I truly did not give a singular fuck about any character in this book, not even Marlinchen. They were all so bland and unseasoned. Certain images were repetitive to the point of redundancy (Rose’s violet eyes, plum pits, plum juice). READ TRIGGERS FOR THIS—I dove in and was shocked at what was in here. And this is coming from someone who loved Andrew Joseph White’s body horror books!! At times, this book truly felt like trauma porn. Bad things happening to everybody, but what was the point other than to make everyone suffer?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Gore, Vomit, Animal death, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Antisemitism and Fatphobia

Minor: Xenophobia

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

dark 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Xenophobia, Addiction, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Misogyny, Child abuse, Death, Animal death, Violence, Alcohol, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Gore, Classism, Medical content, Sexual assault, Blood, Animal cruelty, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Torture, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Sexual harassment, Murder, and Grief

Moderate: Self harm, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Bullying, and Hate crime

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Pedophilia, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Incest, Racial slurs, Infertility, and Infidelity

Beastiality.

readingbymollie's review against another edition

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Gore, Sexual assault, Vomit, Body horror, Self harm, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Murder and Sexual content