Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

14 reviews

vistacanas's review

dark informative sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

“Many of them seem past caring what is true or not, only desperate for some reason, some order to the rearrangement of their lives, even if it is brought about by a lie.”

Despite having an inherently predictable witch hunt storyline (weak, psychopathic men and women getting rid of the women they can’t control), this book about witch trials in Norway in the 1600s, totally held my interest.

It’s the first historical fiction I’ve ever read about Norway (and it’s indigenous population (the Samí people), which made it intriguing. I learned a lot about how the people living in this part of the world managed to survive in an extremely harsh environment. The characters also had depth and were either very relatable or totally detestable.

This was the author’s first adult book…I think she nailed it! I look forward to reading more.

Highly recommend this book to historical fiction lovers…and, of course, it’s a must read for all my fellow witches (AKA uncontrollable, walk-to-the-beat-of-their-own-drum non-Christians)!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Misogyny, Abandonment, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Grief, Sexism, and Murder

Moderate: Physical abuse, Classism, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, Alcohol, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Suicidal thoughts

templetoncecelia's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Death, Toxic relationship, Rape, Murder, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Grief, Child death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Blood

samlopez93's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Toxic relationship, Death, Violence, Domestic abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Rape

Minor: Death of parent

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

hoppma's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.75

This was not an easy read but it is incredibly well done. I feel like Maren and Ursa are going to live with me for a while. I hope they feel safer here than the did in their time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Death, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexism, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Sexual violence and Racism

This was not an easy read but it is incredibly well done. I feel like Maren and Ursa are going to live with me for a while. I hope they feel safer here than the did in their time.

decie's review

dark sad slow-paced

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

3.0

this could have been so good but

as soon as they arrested the friend it went downhill SO FAST. devastating. and I know it's historically accurate for it to be devastating, but tbh i want all books to give all queer people happy endings.

...definitely check the trigger warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Misogyny, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Lesbophobia, Hate crime, Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Blood, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Child death and Miscarriage

ainemcgeheemarley's review

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

This book is harrowing. For a long while, I knew how it would end, but it was slow to get there. I respect books that don't romanticize the past though. I often get annoyed with period movies for this issue-- they like to weave 21st century feminism into the story line which is historically inaccurate. This book was depressing, frustrating, and so, so, so sad. But this book is based on real witch trials that happened, and so I think it's important to sit with the characters and their emotions.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexism

lynneliu's review

challenging informative sad slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Violence, Bullying, Death of parent, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Sexual content, and Torture

Minor: Classism, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Infidelity

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

epellicci's review

dark 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

2.75

Let me begin by disclosing, I don't like books about the witch trails. It's a topic that gets very much under my skin, and so that was against The Mercies from the start. However the reason I didn't like this book is more than that. While the writing was easy to get along with, it doesn't go anywhere. The threat of Absalom Cornet's arrival on Vardo, and subsequent tension is dragged out far longer than any other event, as Hargrave's two main characters, Maren ad Ursa, are some of the most isolated in the book. Focusing on their relationship to Absalom and each other, much of the story is set internally between them and so as a reader, I got the impression that the main event of the story had developed without me.

The actual trials seem to begin, and were done with over the course of about a dozen pages at the end - which arrives suddenly with no resolution for Maren and Ursa. I found this incredibly disappointing given the vast majority of the book is based in teasing a romance between them during their shared solitude and fear.

Unfortunately this book felt short at several hurdles. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Misogyny

Minor: Chronic illness and Miscarriage