Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

140 reviews

forgetmenaught's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

Painful, surprising, horrifying. I love Ava Reid’s writing. She turns over rocks to show us the squirming creatures beneath. And somehow it all turns out poignantly beautiful. Gag-inducing yet hopeful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Vomit, Death, Murder, Gore, Violence, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Body horror, and Misogyny

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual violence

vanessa_books26's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Death, Classism, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Sexual content, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Blood, and Animal death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, and Addiction

Minor: Racism and Racial slurs

peggyluwho's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Body horror, Vomit, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, Self harm, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Grief, Pedophilia, Murder, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Animal death

revolutiondeathsquad's review

This book was actually really really good, there was just content in here that I can’t handle reading about right now. I felt myself having a trauma response and decided to stop reading to protect my mental health. I still would recommend this book, just maybe not to people who are sensitive to abuse or sexual assault. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Animal death

jaustin4's review against another edition

I thought I would like it based off a tiktok that I had seen that praised it but this book was too gruesome for me. I had to stop reading after cannibalism was introduced. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Self harm, Cannibalism, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Murder, and Death of parent

illuminae's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Addiction, and Sexual violence

tateytots's review

dark emotional tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Xenophobia, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Cannibalism, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Incest, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Murder

imchelsi's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

Picked this up without reading the blurb because I thought the cover art was cute, and ended up with a doozy. The story was very gripping, and while I could pick out what could be happening, it still found ways to surprise me. A stomach churning horror with a satisfying ending. My only gripe is the sexualizing of many of the characters, which was light at the beginning,  but pretty heavy from the middle to the end. I can see how it aids the narrative but it is just not my cup of tea. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content

Moderate: Eating disorder, Murder, Cannibalism, Physical abuse, and Death

itsmaryhell's review

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Body horror, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Eating disorder, Vomit, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Misogyny, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Self harm, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse

Minor: Abortion

wanderingmeek's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid

4/5⭐⭐⭐⭐

My eldest sister was right; I would smile blithely if someone tried to saw off my leg. But no one had ever told me that I was allowed to scream.

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Brilliant. Gruesome. Wild.

This story had me captivated from early on, because it was told in a beautifully mystical way. It had many gruesome twists and turns. Although, the imagery provided may not be suitable for every reader.. It was a story of how great and continual trauma can warp the mind. Developing into an exploration on how scary and difficult it can be to break the cycle of abuse that you have settled into to ensure survival.

While difficult to endure at times it was an enthralling read.

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Marlinchen is our main character and narrator. We are introduced to Oblya through her eyes and her experiences. Which, initially, are heavily influenced by her father. She grew up the youngest of three sisters and was quite young when her father transformed their mother into a bird and then killed her. This left the girls vulnerable to their father’s sick and uncaring mind during very impressionable years of their lives. Her father takes advantage of her eagerness to please and uses many forms of abuse to manipulate all three of his daughters into doing what he wants. The older two take many opportunities to rebel and take Marlinchen along on a forbidden outing that will change all of their lives.

This entire novel is watching Marlinchen evolve from the meek girl who is deeply entrenched under her father’s control into a young woman who tries her best to save them all.

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Trigger Warnings: Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Eating disorder, Blood, Body Horror, Cannibalism, Gore, Child Abuse

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Body horror, Medical trauma, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse