Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

103 reviews

moriahleigh's review

challenging dark 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Suicide, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Murder, Sexism, and Sexual assault

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

paniquemecanique's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative mysterious 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

4.75

I would have rated it a 4 right after reading it but I just keep coming back to it in my mind. It was long and a bit hard to finish (shout out to my short attention span girlies) but it was a wild and beautiful ride.
This is a historical book based off real facts that takes place in Lapland in the 1800's, about the big european witch hunt, the colonization of the indigenous Sami people, and about a matriarchy. The characters are deep and nuanced and beautiful, and the whole story forces you to be fully there with them in every moment.
KMH is a divine autress who writes so intensely and beautifully, it is very hard not to be haunted by the book (I am writing this months after finishing it and I cant forget the most thrilling parts ).
Absolutely recommended,  but be very mindful of the TW. It is a hard and truthful story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Murder, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Colonisation, Death, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Hate crime

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

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.

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.

lillyrose97's review

emotional 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Torture, Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Grief, Murder, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, War, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

alithomas's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Torture

Minor: Vomit and Suicidal thoughts

corine's review

dark emotional 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

4.25

- Very atmospheric; interesting setting, beautiful writing
- Lots of good characters although Maren fell a bit flat for me
- Bit slow at the start, bit fast at the end 
- For fans of Portrait of a lady on fire 
- Content warnings All. Around.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, Rape, Blood, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Death, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Alcohol

becca9849's review

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Racism, Torture, Death, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and Sexism

Minor: Miscarriage