Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

373 reviews

bavisca's review

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.75

I’m pretty squeamish, but I did think this was very well written. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Murder

wisteriaearl's review

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Moderate: Cannibalism and Emotional abuse

moonlight_reader's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? No

4.5

This book is painfully heartbreaking and raw with its emotion and depiction of brutality and suffering. Being looked down upon and treated as an ornament rather than a human. The painful expression of trauma and grief and abuse and some self loath. despite all these she has beautifully woven an intricately passionate and tender story of love, loss, pain and memory with poetic prose and descriptive atmosphere, setting a wholly gothic masterpiece novel. a book i would reccomened to read once in your life for sure. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

cashcatz's review against another edition

I didn't have the patience to see the main character break out of her shell with her terrible father and less terrible sisters. The mystery promised just didn't manage to hook me as much as my dislike for the starting environment drove me away. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, and Domestic abuse

pinkpapercrane's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book is very dark, very tense, and yet at the end of the day, a fantastic read. This isn’t my usual cup of tea, I’m a cozy fantasy sort of reader but I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to dive headfirst into grim dark fantasy.

(with a happy ending, of course.)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Torture, Self harm, Eating disorder, Child death, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Grief, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Rape, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Animal death, Pregnancy, Gore, Confinement, Cannibalism, Body shaming, and Adult/minor relationship

This book is very dark and very tense, there are some in depth descriptions of sexual violence, with references to it throughout the book.

cloud_z's review

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Animal death, and Body shaming

iconicavocado's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

Book 📖: 4/5 stars

I've been dying to read this book! I've heard nothing but good things and for the most part it delivered! 

I really enjoyed the reimagining of The Juniper Tree with such poetic melancholy writing and exploration of dark themes. I wasn't entirely sure how large the scope would go but I found the ending quite satisfying. 

Going into this I knew there are content warnings, but I still found some parts to be hard to stomach. I don't demerit the book for it because the uncomfortableness was what the author was going for. I did find the pacing to be quite slow and wish it picked up its third act just a bit quicker. 

This is not a book for everyone. It's incredibly dark and definitely in the realm of horror. But I loved it's unique writing and haunting take of an already twisted fairytale. I'm excited to read more of Ava Reid's work! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Gore, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Animal death, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse

salemander's review

5.0

an absolutely phenomenal and gut wrenching story of a young woman coming to terms with her trauma. this book made me cry so hard not only from sadness but the hopeful ending that really encapsulates how healing is not linear. trauma will always linger with these characters but that doesn’t mean they cannot lead happy and meaningful lives. the folk tales and mythology this book uses are so beautiful and the way ava reid writes is so gorgeously poetic and also kind of horrific. cannot wait to buy all her books for the rest of my life. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Misogyny, Body horror, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Racism, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

98chelseyking's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Murder, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

lorie266's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Classism, Animal death, Confinement, Grief, Sexual violence, and Vomit