Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

34 reviews

shoohoob's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Genuinely one of the most tense books I have ever read. There is such a feeling of terror and anxiety in every word of this book. I somehow knew what was coming and STILL managed to be shocked at the end. Every time there was even a shred of happiness, it was taken away just as fast. I loved it!

I also wanted to note that this is NOT a romance book. The sapphic aspect is interspersed and is not the main focus of the book. Just be aware of that in case you are recommended this book as a sapphic read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Blood, Animal death, Torture, Xenophobia, Homophobia, Grief, Death, and Cursing

nicnevin's review

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This story is capitivating, almost as if by magic. 

That tasteless joke aside, its a beautiful piece showing how minor quibbles can lead to such devestating consequences. 

The relationships and social connections throughout are stitched together with a raw, real intensity. Its beautiful. 

A warning though, it can be intense so just a heads up! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Classism, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Violence, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Torture

penofpossibilities's review

dark emotional sad

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Physical abuse, Excrement, Murder, and Grief

Moderate: Ableism and Homophobia

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Torture

lucyselim's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

This was truly a case of 'it's not you, it's me'

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Sexism, Death, Hate crime, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia

lkbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Torture

Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Body shaming

amanda_hook's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, Religious bigotry, Torture, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal death

jowmy4's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Biphobia, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Vomit

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

Witch trials

banrions's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

iiiiiiii have a LOT of mixed feelings about this book and in a lot of ways i want to give it less stars but that doesn't feel fair because it is a very well written book and i was totally invested the entire time. however, the end left me furious. i'm not going to put a spoiler tag here, because i'd rather fellow queer women know what they're getting into, and this is not a happy ending. (it is not a bury your gays trope, but it's NOT happy) and that left me... so fucking frusturated because while, sure, there is a certain poetic feeling to the tragedy of the ending... and there IS a place for tragic stories about queer people, and in many ways, this DOES feel appropriate for one of them, it's goddamn witch trials!!! i'm still just... tired. just because something is historical doesn't mean it has to be tragic. if ursa and maren HAD been able to be together in the end, there would still be plenty of tragedy to go around. but there would have felt like something more bittersweet. and i'm just... i both really enjoyed and really hated this book and was just left, so mad and so tired. 

THAT SAID, i do think that this is a very well written and obviously very well researched book. i have always been drawn to stories about witch trails. i loved the way that ursa and maren both came to understand their feelings for each other. i loved that there wasn't really much internalized homophobia going around. i think that the author really captured the claustrophobic, atmospheric feeling of a small town/village of people and the ways that religon and hysteria can be used as a weapon. i will be looking for her other works (and i will be looking for other words read by the narrator of this book too, she did a wonderful job bringing the tale to life). 

i'm just... tired. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Violence

caroline_hutchison's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content

haley313's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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

I initially wanted to give this book a four. I love historical fiction and I was excited to learn that this is based on a true story. I know nothing about Norwegian/Scandinavian history so this was an interesting read from that perspective. I did find the story to be compelling and I really loved Kirsten, Maren, and Ursa. I honestly loved Diina as well. This is a story about the strength and defiance of women, and the corrupting influence of religion and groupthink. That being said, it was so unrelentingly and desperately sad that I came away from it feeling uneasy. It was not what I would describe as an “enjoyable” read, content-wise at least. I did enjoy the writing and the imagery. I would have appreciated more of a slow intro about life and culture before the storm.

I enjoyed the romance between Ursa and Maren but it felt....shoehorned in? It was also so satisfying to read of Absalom’s death.

Overall not a bad read but not something I’d return to. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Misogyny

Moderate: Physical abuse and Rape

Minor: Miscarriage and Sexual content