Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

17 reviews

librarymouse's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.25

I love the short chapters and the way K. Ancrum blends fantasy into realism, especially with the devotion between Jack and August. They are codependent and delusional to varying degrees.

having Jack's delusions caused by an easily and completely curable tumor is an ending I wasn't expecting. Jack and August are the type of couple you can root for only in fiction. They are codependent in a bad way, craving causing harm to each other and devoted enough to allow it happen to themselves. One thing I hate is when adopted sibling characters kiss and/or close friends who are in love play off the queerness of situations by claiming a sibling relationship. The latter happens once in this book. However: I loved this book enough that this is a 5 star read despite that moment. I adore the secondary characters very much, especially the group of Alex, Gordy, Peter and Roger - Alex especially for her muffins and awkward love in tough times. Reena is also very cool, though I take issue with a 19ish year old meeting and starting a sexual relationship with a seventeen year old.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

braveprincess11's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I still don’t understand how much of the plot actually happened to the boys & how much was a hallucination…

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Mental illness

Moderate: Abandonment and Violence

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Cancer, and Panic attacks/disorders

Tagged as schizophrenic for the hallucinations since that isn’t a tag

marisasbooks's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, and Violence

ashlikes's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Violence

Minor: Ableism, Homophobia, and Stalking

packedjam's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0

hooooooo boy oh boy. this book perfectly straddles the line between books i loved as a kid and stories that compel me as an adult

strongly, strongly recommend reading a physical copy of this one

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Eating disorder, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Medical content, Terminal illness, and Violence

Minor: Stalking, Homophobia, Ableism, Alcohol, and Cursing

li_reading's review against another edition

5.0

I’ll give a full review at some point but just know I’m running into the woods to recover as we speak

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual content, Medical content, Violence, and Gaslighting

notpresent22's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book is complex and not for the faint of heart. But in the end it’s a fascinating love story between two young boys as they struggle with a world that is letting them down. It’s the kind of story that makes you desperate to learn what happened after the final page but will likely never get an answer to. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, and Addiction

Pyromania

beforeviolets's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

The imaginative playfulness of Bridge to Terabithia meets the grungy high school setting and character style of The Perks of Being a Wallflower meets the romanticized codependency of A Separate Peace.

A book that masterfully discusses mental illness, trauma, and the struggle of being teenager who has to grow up too quickly. This magical, emotional, and brilliant story illustrates how trauma can result not just from direct action but from indirect action and what it means to care and be cared for.

All my lonely burnt out gifted kids, give this one a read. And don't skip the dedication or the author's note.

TW:

schizophrenia/psychosis, mental illness, panic attacks, fire (pyromania), medical content, chronic illness, parental abuse/neglect, eating disorder, forced institutionalization, sexual content (brief mention), violence and blood (brief), underage drinking, toxic relationship

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Eating disorder, and Violence

Minor: Sexual content

simixfe's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Violence

Moderate: Blood and Suicidal thoughts

jenarae's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Violence and Sexual content