Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

90 reviews

ellynscoffee's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is certainly not for the faint of heart. The label of dark is no exaggeration and this book is a brilliant example of a grim gothic horror that does not hold back.
The writing style and story telling were great, my only gripe was some of the slower pacing towards the middle, although this didn't last long.
The gore aspect of this story was probably the most uncomfortable for me to read, but it was easily skimmed over and did not feel unnecessary.
The ending is incredibly satisfying, however I did feel that the reveal of the mystery was a little rushed (but perhaps this is more because we see everything from Marlinchen's perspective).
Overall, I loved and really enjoyed this bleak, grim retelling

EDIT: It has been several days since I finished this book and I cannot stop thinking about it. I think I will have to fold and change this from my original 4/5 rating to a 5/5 because it really hit me harder than I thought.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Bullying, Murder, Cannibalism, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

jehold2010's review

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Sexual violence, Vomit, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, and Cannibalism

kitanda's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Grief, Incest, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Death, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Gore

elizabethreadsalot's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death of parent, Gore, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Blood, Self harm, Cannibalism, Body shaming, Murder, and Death

Minor: Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

campisforever's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

A dark retelling of "The Juniper Tree," Juniper & Thorn is slow-paced with the repetition we normally associate with oral storytelling. The narrative is beautifully written and well constructed. While I found it difficult to stomach and definitely needed breaks throughout, I recognize that the discomfort was part of the point. I also often felt like I couldn't find a foothold, but realized about 3/4 of the way through that it was intentional--until Marlinchen begins to piece things together, it's a bit difficult to locate the narrative's bearings. 

This novel is a really raw and honest portrayal of various kinds of trauma, mental health struggles, and coping mechanisms. Many of the content warnings I've included are the exact warnings Ava Reid provides for the novel on her website. Please be mindful of those tags. That said, I was honestly a little scared to read this book because it seemed like a lot, and it was, but not in a way that glorifies the horrors of humanity and abuse. If you're open to a story that takes you through the darkest parts of our folklore--here, Germanic and Slavic lore--and gives you a glimmer of hope on the other end, it's worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Blood, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Medical trauma, Vomit, Body horror, Mental illness, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, and Self harm

Moderate: Cannibalism, Antisemitism, Incest, Classism, and Violence

galacticcat's review

tense medium-paced

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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Grief, Animal death, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Body horror

kproctor2's review

challenging dark mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

hanna_hllqvist's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Vomit, Death, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Body horror, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Grief, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

Minor: Racism and Body shaming

bookleafcrow's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

3.5

A gothic fantasy revolving around monstrous men, and the monsters they create. 

I went into Juniper and Thorn practically blind, having read Reid’s debut novel “The Wolf and the Woodsman” last year and enjoying it so much that it became one of my top reads of 2022. However, I would not advise picking up this book without knowing exactly what you’re getting yourself into. At its core, “Juniper and Thorn” is a story about abuse and striving for freedom against the odds, as well as being a retelling of the German fairy tale “The Juniper Tree”; alongside other trigger warnings listed within this review, it depicts graphic scenes of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse with little to no reprieve until the last third of the book. The main character, Marlinchen, develops at a frustratingly slow pace, and whilst this is understandable given her situation, her back-and-forth uncertainty becomes irritating towards the end. Despite being only ~300 pages, it feels much, much longer. I found myself struggling to pick it back up after reading sessions. That being said, the prose is beautiful. The world-building is claustrophobic and narrow in a way that matches the scope of the narrator, and Reid’s imagery is a vibrant gut-punch for better or worse; Juniper and Thorn’s uncomfortable atmosphere is carefully curated until it blossoms into a closing act with incredible payoff. 

Overall, “Juniper and Thorn” is as charming and alluring as it is repulsing. The characters are slightly weaker than those in Reid’s previous novel, lacking their rate of development, and the romance feels a little superficial until it very suddenly doesn’t, but the conclusion is so much stronger. It has a very satisfying ending that ties up all loose ends brilliantly. I would recommend this book to fans of Reid’s first book, fans of folklore/fairytale retellings, and gothic fantasy enjoyers; whilst I personally wouldn’t describe this book as horror for the most part, it definitely incorporates horrific elements. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Body horror, Sexual assault, Medical content, Death, Blood, Animal death, Body shaming, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Murder, Gaslighting, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Confinement, and Gore

lindseeclark's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

Unbelievably depressing and a difficult read for me, just not a book that I enjoyed. The prose itself was lush and beautiful but I could not root for any characters or plot lines.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Medical trauma, Grief, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Animal death, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Murder, Misogyny, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Self harm, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Physical abuse, Confinement, and Blood