Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Marionette

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Marionette by Antonia Rachel Ward

8 reviews

nittiotvaan's review

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dark fast-paced

1.5

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bookishdaylight's review

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dark mysterious fast-paced

2.0

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This did not hit the mark for me and as much as I love the book's cover, this is something I would forget in the long run. I was neutral about what happened throughout the story because of the fast pacing with the character's lack of personality.

The plot is very bland and I suppose it was for the reason that this is a novella making the story rushed and unconvincing with the character's actions and their agenda. The instalove is another reason why I didn't like it, the characters barely knew each other and were already in love which made the execution disappointing, to say the least.

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andratalpi's review

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dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

I didn’t expect to like this book this much, but here we are.

Hear me out. What drew me to this book was the cover. The cover is amazing, so so pretty. I had no idea what the book was about, so I read it completely blind.

I hate erotica and smut in books. Sexy scenes make me cringe, I just stop liking a book because of them. I don’t know if that’s because most of them are poorly written or because I’ve read too much smut by the age of 14 (thanks to Wattpad and fanfics). If I would have read the synopsis of the book, I would probably not pick it up mainly because it’s erotica. But it was really good, I didn’t cringe at all.

The book is very well written and easy to follow but also throws you into the right atmosphere, like it feels old but not really. The writing is very fancy.

I loved this story, like come on, it’s a horror gothic erotic novella, what do you want more from life?

However, I rated it 3 stars(on Goodreads )but my true rating is 3, 5 stars. It’s not a book I normally read and even though I really enjoyed it, I just kind of wanted a bit more. Maybe a bit more character development, maybe a bit more buildup between Cece and George.

Thank you to Brigids Gate Press for providing me with an e-ARC of Marionette!

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anapthine's review

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dark funny tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Thank you Net Galley and Brigids Gate Press for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Before reading this, I didn’t know whether or not I would like it, as it is not the usual genre I read. I weirdly liked this. It was very dark and gothic - which I do love in books. It deserved the 4 stars as the book is very unique and different, and was written very well. Whilst parts of it are quite disturbing, it kind of makes you laugh at the same time; it is just so ridiculous that it is funny. I thought this was quite clever. A lot of people were saying in other reviews that it was too short, but I thought it was the perfect length - I didn’t think it needed to be any longer. The plot just flows and isn’t detached (plot makes sense and events aren’t disconnected). I would recommend it to readers over the ages of 18. I also suggest you read the content warning before reading as there are some quite graphic parts.

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literarycryptid's review

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dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.75

** Triggers in book** Dubious consent, suicide mention, gore, blood play (minor)

Spice level 3/5

This was a very interesting read.

George is an artist, new to the grand city of Paris and trying to make a name for himself. Cece is a young burlesque dancer trying to find a better life. They both get pulled into a macabre and lust fueled event of spirit summoning and end up fighting for both their lives.

I absolutely loved the dark romance aspect of this story, a tale of love continuing even after death, but the obsession leading to a worse fate. On top of this, the connection between George and Cece is very much the hero and damsel in distress trope, but Cece is also presented as a fighter who will do anything to survive.

Spice-wise, all scenes are of dubious consent, and each has its own unique style/setting exploring different erotic scenarios.

Overall an interesting twist on séance and gothic horror storytelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brigids Gate Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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our_bookish_reads's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

2.0

Marionette was an interesting read, if nothing else. It was a very quick, super short read as it is a novella and the premise was there, however the story could have been executed better. Also, while there is sex, it doesn't come through as an erotica.

I love the idea of human possession through an object belonging to that spirit. I also love that the spirit was a scorned wife & lover set of retribution.

If this had been a longer book aith more information then I might have enjoyed it more.
Ultimately, this book wasn't for me.

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house_of_hannah's review

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dark fast-paced

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

2.0

Thank you so much to Brigids Gate Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.

There are content warnings posted in the back of this novella that I will share at the end of my review. This novella actually starts out quite strong. It definitely feels like more work was put into the first 40% of this compared to the rest. The prologue, even though it was just a few paragraphs, is a perfect opener, and really gives us a taste of the vibes the rest of the novella will bring. There is no dilly dallying, and we jump right into (or onto) the meat of the story.

Unfortunately, I just wasn't into the plotline. It didn't feel original, or compelling. I had no reason to care about any of these characters, which I know can be difficult to achieve in a shorter story. The plot moved at the speed of light, with everything happening within just a few days. I bet the main character had whiplash with how quickly everything occured; what an interesting first impression of Paris !

One of the content warnings is dubious consent, but most of the spicy scenes just flat out have no consent at all. With the ages of the female characters also being quite dubious, the whole thing feels quite icky. All the men expect for the MC, George, seemed to be older men. George is 19, and the main female character, Cecile, comments that he is older than her, so it's possible she isn't even an adult yet. There is also mention of sex work being performed by a child, which had me do a double take.

Overall, this novella had a promising premise, but just included too many things that I personally dislike. I'm never going to be into love at first sight, and I prefer knowing that the characters are adults. There is quite a delicious revenge scene, which really shows off the horror aspect of this novella, but that alone cannot redeem it for me.

CW: References to suicide, violence, mutilation, sex scenes of dubious consent

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rachel_reads_books's review

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

2/5 

I enjoyed this book moderately, it was entertaining and the plot was intriguing but the execution was poor. The characters had no substance to them and I would have liked more development towards their personalities and backstories. 

The plot and ‘twists’ were easy to see coming and I would hardly call the novella erotica. It was more of an adult novella with some spicy scenes that were poorly written and rushed. 

I believe if this was a full length novel, both the plot and the personalities and backstories of the characters could have been executed better and with more detail. 

All in all, it was an easy and quick read that kept my attention but definitely could have been executed with more personality.

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