Reviews with content warning for Violence - Juniper & Thorn

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

kimco_reads's review

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-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? No

4.25

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book! I picked it up for the 2024 Trans Rights Readathon and had a difficult time putting it down. I even spent the majority of my afternoon off reading the second half because it was so intriguing. Going into it I was already drawn in by the idea of a grim-dark retelling of a fairytale, and add in a fairytale I hadn’t heard before and I was hooked.

This was the first book I’ve read by Reid, and I was impressed with how intelligent the writing was and how poetic the prose was. Reid’s descriptions were visceral and made it feel like I was right there in the story with Marlinchen. The setting of the house felt like it was straight from a fairytale with the description of the main character’s house, yard and various creatures living there. Then as a direct contrast the setting outside of the main character’s house was a developing city with day laborers, a theater, bars, and a beach. Putting these two contrasting settings was an ingenious way for Reid to show the character’s father’s inability to move forward or let any outside influence in. The magic system was simple, but well fleshed out within the story.

Throughout the story I felt the pain and anguish of the main character. I also really appreciated how Reid was able to depict the psychological effects the trauma and abuse often described in fairytales have on different types of characters. The very real way Marlinchen, Undine, and Rose reacted so differently to their father’s abuse was chilling to the core.

While I thoroughly enjoyed reading Juniper and Thorn, there were a few things that didn’t quite line up to my personal tastes in order to make it a five-star read. For me, the moments of levity were very short and far inbetween. It seemed they were over as soon as they started and they were still always tinged with the main character’s fear of being caught. It makes sense for the story so I understand why Reid wrote it this way. Also, the way the characters were written, I didn’t really know enough about the other characters to care if anything bad happened to them and it wasn’t until close to the end that I cared about the main character’s love interest. The romance read as an instant love connection, and unfortunately I’m just not a big fan of this trope, however, the author did a fantastic job showing that it wasn’t a perfect love, but rather a love that two very scarred characters would realistically cling to.

That all being said, this book was a great short read. It was chilling in a more psychologically heavy way than I expected, but was pleasantly surprised with.

Please check your trigger warnings before diving into this one!

Content Warnings

bohemianhermit04's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

kateships's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

4.75

I don’t usually read books like this. I love folklore/fairytale based retellings which is why it interested me, and the authors writing drew me in.

It is… gory, uncomfortable, dark, weird, and at no point did I know what was going to happen. It was oddly more sexual than I was expecting and I don’t think the story needed most of it, but that didn't ruin it for me.

It’s FOR SURE not a book for everyone. Again, dark and VERY uncomfortable, not scary, but I was fascinated by the theme of hunger and the monsters. I ended up really really enjoying this way more than I expected.

I am weirdly obsessed and will probably read everything by this author.

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orangewitchling's review

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challenging dark emotional 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

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powertothenk's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

what a ride. the writing was exceptional, the plot was gripping, and the characters… repulsed me until i related to them lol. this book is a look into the mind of a girl who’s been told she’s nothing so many times that all of the repressed urges and thoughts and emotions well up in mangled, decaying ways. will i read other ava reid books? yes. right now? oh hell no, i need a nap.

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jaykayreads's review

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No

3.0

This story is f**ked up. Trigger warning for sexual assault, rape, child abuse, domestic abuse. The ending was good but it was hard to get through the pain and suffering of the main character.

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ainhoalikesbooksandmangos's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I like the vibes, but I think, that the ending was a bit rush. Like "do you remember this thing that talked about randomly 2 times? It's an important thing for the last 50 pages" but overall I like it and I enjoyed *spoilers ahead* that Marlinchen didn't forgiv Rose, and all (almost all) the abuser in the book died.*end of the spoilers* so yeah the ending is fine but the rest of the book was very enjoyable.

Content Warnings