Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

77 reviews

thecatconstellation'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? It's complicated

4.25

This was so hard to put down. Very compelling and moving. Good discussions of gender and the roles of women in society, the impact of Christianity on native people, and what unprocessed grief can do to people.

Very atmospheric and pretty gay.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, Grief, Sexual assault, Murder, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Body horror, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Infertility, Gore, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Vomit

Minor: War

effortlessly_uncool's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Murder

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Weirdly, this is the 3rd or 4th witch hunt/burnings book I’ve read this year. This is really well written and interesting, and does a great job of character development and crafting the remote setting. It is also stressful (check content warnings), as witch hunt books usually are!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Grief, Pregnancy, Bullying, Death, Torture, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual violence, and Rape

Persecution, false accusations, witch hunt, drowning

camill3's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

i have no words. wow

(check trigger warnings!!!) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Vomit

moviemagus's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, Sexism, Death, Animal death, Rape, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Violence and Torture

yilliun's review

dark mysterious medium-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

4.5

Hargrave creates such a wonderfully complex world and pulls you into the life of living in 17th century Vardø. To each of the main women, there is such a delicate intimacy to them. They want such human things, to be loved, to know love, to feel truly in charge of their own destinies, and yet the men around them suffocate them. The story felt both tender and harsh and I was entranced all the way through.

May the men who burned these innocent people burn as they once burned the innocent.

ALSO I noticed that 40 men died and there were 40 chapters in the book. The number 40 is so biblically significant so I wonder how intentional that detail was.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, and Torture

viksbooksandlifestyle's review

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

So tbh I picked this book up in the shop because of how pretty it was not on the basis of knowing what the book was about 😬😱
It was a little slow getting into it but once I was I quote enjoyed it. It was very interesting, a little haunting and dark at times. I found the ending a little disappointing and rushed. But overall a good book 👍

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Sexual assault, Death, Miscarriage, Rape, Torture, and Domestic abuse

shadfield34's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Torture, Miscarriage, and Violence

emeraldjulep's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

A beautiful, but bleak cautionary tale for our time. This island of women and what happens with, and to, them will stick with me for a long time. The story is artfully told on the Audible version. The narrator has a Scandinavian accent as well which I felt added an authentic atmosphere to the story (and pronounced all the names I would have have never gotten right). I would recommend reading The Mercies in any format.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Murder, Racism, Sexism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Torture

typedtruths's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, Murder, Sexism, Grief, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Colonisation, Alcohol, Racism, Sexual content, Death, Torture, and Racial slurs

Minor: Pregnancy, Gore, and Animal death

➸ Trigger warnings for period-typical misogyny, colonialism, anti-indigenous racism, forced marriage, religious bigotry, persecution for witchcraft (theme) including the on-page depiction of witch trials and burning women at the stake, graphic martial rape and sexual assault, infidelity (the protagonist is in a forced marriage though), pregnancy and pregnancy from rape discussed, childbirth, miscarriage, alcohol consumption, blood and gore depiction including dead bodies, death of a friend (on-page), death of a father, husband and brother mentioned, mass death by boating accident, murder (on-page), torture (implied), imprisonment mentioned, near-drowning incident, and animal death.