Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

59 reviews

hopeadinfinitum's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative tense 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? No

5.0

A difficult book that tears at your heart even as you can’t put it down. This book made me Feel Things with capital letters, angry and sad and hopeful and thoroughly gutted like a fish. There’s a lot of content warnings to take into account and they shouldn’t be taken lightly, but this book is so worth a read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Grief, Alcohol, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Rape, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Animal death, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Murder

klsreads's review

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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I picked this up on a whim to read alongside Caliban and the Witch, and I ended up loving it. The writing is an absolute feast - I felt I could touch the world and characters. +100 for a gorgeous exploration of Sapphic desire and love. 

This book is sad but the subjects are treated with immense tenderness. Will definitely be reading more of Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Blood, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Infertility, Pregnancy, and Vomit

Minor: Animal death and Colonisation

eleanora's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Grief, Miscarriage, Racism, Death, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy

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)!

---

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

karmachamillionaire's review

dark emotional inspiring 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Infertility, Blood, Sexism, Grief, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Death, and Racism

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Alcohol

maregred's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, and Death

Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Classism, Colonisation, Rape, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content

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

---

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

mad_is_rad's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

Emotionally wrecked from this one. It made a distant atrocity (the witch hunts in northern Norway in the 17th century) into something very personal and real. Ursa was a stand-out character and I really admired her fortitude. If you’re looking for something heartbreaking and bleak, but with moments of tenderness, this is the one. Great winter read…unless you’re already sad!!! In which case, go read The Thursday Murder Club or something!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

rosa_inverno's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

Exceptional. This one might be my top book I've read this year, or at the very least one of. It is heartbreaking, infuriating, lyrically written, and utterly brilliant.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry

Moderate: Death and Grief

nyk4envy's review

challenging 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I enjoyed this book immensely. The writing and language was something to get used to, but once I did, I saw it for it’s beauty. A tragic story of pain and love and survival. It can only reflect on the current state of our world. Being prosecuted, oppressed, losing and grieving, finding yourself grounded by loves in your life. It was incredible to read, sometimes I couldn’t put it down. Sometimes I needed to put it down. I cried with the characters, I raged with them. 
Incredible story based on a far away tragedy and I couldn’t have asked for me. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Rape, Homophobia, Violence, Colonisation, Infertility, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Murder, Torture, Death, and Grief