Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter

4 reviews

purplesapphire's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

se deaI have to say, I almost DNFed this one once it was a third of the way in and nothing had seemed to happen for me. Then, one point made me stick around and the last quarter was a WILD ride. Definitely dark and sticks to the gothic genre well. Give it a longer chance than you might usually and you won't regret it. There are some good twists in there too.

I also have to say I appreciated this version of a strong female MC and women in general. They were strong, vindictive, greedy, sly, soft, smart, kind, and feminine all in one without it being forced or badly written. They were just written as real people. Then you add the witch parts, and the ghouls parts and it makes for a great tale. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, and Incest

Moderate: Misogyny, Gaslighting, Murder, Blood, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Confinement

Minor: Sexual assault and Toxic relationship

poetpenelopee's review

dark slow-paced

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

3.0

It was kinda meh as far as books go. Though that might be because I thought the merfolk would be a bigger part of the story. Perhaps if my expectations had been different I would have enjoyed it more. It’s not a bad book, just not what I expected and not for me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Confinement, Sexual assault, and Murder

powellki's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Incest, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Torture

montereads's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC.
All the Murmuring Bones is a story of resilience and reclamation swathed in an eerie, gothic shroud. The novel draws up the weight of history, of story, of other people’s wants and follies and decisions, and Miren’s tale is about fighting for one’s freedom against these forces.
It has a slow start. Miren is a ghost of a character at first, but a quarter of the way through the book she shakes off the dust of a generations-long slumber and the plot picks up. I followed the story with interest, but I can’t say that it ever gripped me. The structure wasn’t particularly satisfying and the ending didn’t elicit much excitement from me because of this. Unfortunately, there were also subtle moments of fatphobia throughout that made me uncomfortable, and I’m not sure the novel succeeded in undermining the classism of the O’Malley’s, though it seemed to be trying. 
With a lukewarm plot and a one-dimensional vision of freedom, what held my attention? Well, the atmosphere. While reading this, I pictured many of the places I visited in Scotland. In addition to the strong folktale elements, the feel of the landscape was grey, green, and damp, full of streams and cliffs and salt water and crumbling stone. I loved the haphazard inclusion of many different mythical creatures, the folk magic, the strange Victorian and sometimes almost steampunk glimpses we were given into the wider world. And it was satisfying to see, over and over again, how Miren could defy the expectations of the men around her.
I enjoyed and appreciated this book, though I had some criticisms. And it certainly wet my appetite for more mermaid books!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Sexism

Moderate: Miscarriage and Sexual content

Minor: Incest and Sexual assault