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Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'
All our hidden gifts - La Gouvernante by Caroline O'Donoghue
11 reviews
sleepy_stardust's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
But oh my god, does Maeve Chambers ruin it.
At first, a romance subplot began with one of the side characters, Roe. It's eased into, and I found myself enjoying their relationship. Then, out of nowhere, they share a passionate kiss. No build-up, nothing, nada. From then on, I found it difficult to empathize with the main character's love problems; it's difficult to be surprised that a relationship isn't going well when the couple doesn't know one another.
Maeve's also pretty unlikeable in general. In the beginning, she seemed realistically imperfect. Were her flaws difficult to tolerate? Yes. Could I understand where she was coming from? Also, yes. However, as the novel progresses, her perspective becomes increasingly infuriating. She invalidates her partner's insecurities about their unstable relationship (which started after his sister went missing, mind you, and partly because of Maeve). She's overly capricious and causes mini-conflicts in the novel that are entirely superfluous and unworthy of the reader's attention.
Besides Maeve's characterization problems, the novel's ending is incredibly cliché. It reads like the end of a pilot episode of a crime-fighting show, where the main characters have finally realized that they're meant to take on the mysteries of the world together. It's horrendously underwhelming; O'Donoghue would have been better off starting the second book and adding exposition throughout to explain the characters' backstories.
Roe and Fiona were enough to save this book from being a total drag for me, though.
2.5☆ / 5☆
Graphic: Homophobia, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse
cstefko's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Hate crime, Gore, Xenophobia, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Bullying
copper_ink's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Homophobia and Blood
Moderate: Self harm and Suicide attempt
Minor: Domestic abuse and Xenophobia
pumpkinbread's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Bullying and Blood
lunaxlore's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, Violence, and Homophobia
Moderate: Blood, Death, and Dysphoria
Minor: Domestic abuse
sarahnoffy's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Xenophobia, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Transphobia
abigailc0x's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
it was really really good hence why i read most of it in a few days but ended not how i expected it
side note the made up song lyrics made me slightly cringe but maybe that’s a me thing
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Outing, Suicide, Blood, Deadnaming, Suicide attempt, Self harm, and Transphobia
Minor: Xenophobia
hann4's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Blood, Xenophobia, Bullying, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicidal thoughts
rinku's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, Blood, Lesbophobia, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death
bella63096's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood and Xenophobia
Moderate: Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Bullying, Homophobia, Biphobia, and Hate crime