Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

6 reviews

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Vomit, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Grief, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Cursing, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Chronic illness, and Emotional abuse

madamenovelist's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Violence, Murder, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Addiction, Abandonment, Blood, Gore, Grief, and Confinement

Minor: Trafficking

There is a brief mention of a child being rescued from sex trafficking. The emotional/physical abuse, blood, gore, and violence are all very graphic. Not for the sensitive.

amandadevoursbooks's review

adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I loved the setting. I loved the description of Ethiopia and Ethiopian culture. The mystism and rituals involved with being a debterra were intriguing. The white staff refusing to take it seriously was apt. 

The story was a quick, thrilling read. The relationships are messy. The cross the tracks, employee/employer relationship was what I expect from YA. The silly banter for the ages of the characters

The resolution of the child abuse story arc 

is decidedly un-Western, and it will likely make some people, myself included, uncomfortable.

The relationship
 

while riveting, reinforces the damaging ideas that there's only one person who you can truly love, that relationships should be filled with arguments, that some amount of physical abuse is expected and tolerated from women to men, and that long term relationships are great when forged in the fire of crisis.

I'd recommend reading this book with a critical eye and enjoying the story for what it is: a thrilling novel with a love story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, and Death

Minor: Domestic abuse

emily_mh's review against another edition

dark 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? No

3.5

I started off LOVING this Jane Eyre retelling. I thought that Blackwood did such a good job at creating Rochester’s desperation in Magnus and the dialogue between Andromeda and Magnus felt as dramatic and devoted as it did in the original. The setting was also really intriguing. However, I liked the book less and less as time went on. There was a lack of context historically and geographically which made it difficult for me to place the book. The romance became the sole focus to the detriment of the more interesting cleansing-the-household plotline. And also the drama in that romance was SO contrived; at some points I didn’t even know what they were disagreeing about. Most importantly, I don’t think it worked well as a Jane Eyre retelling. There was a lack of atmosphere, and also none of the themes of coming-of-age/character development that really makes Jane Eyre stand out to me. Also, the romance in the original is an important part, but not the ONLY part, which is kind of how it ends up in this book. Moreover, I don’t think the toxic relationship between Andromeda and her mentor is given the gravity that it deserved. I also thought that the whole concept of disabilities coming from the attraction of the Evil Eye was super problematic. 

I would by no means say this was bad, it just didn’t live up to the expectations it set and instead presented an average, slightly gothic instalove romance. As a side note, I did listen to the audiobook and thought it was okay. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, and Death of parent

Moderate: Violence, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Ableism

Minor: Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Gun violence, Racism, Drug use, Mental illness, Slavery, War, Excrement, Rape, Pedophilia, and Suicide

Menstruation, drowning, chronic pain

icegoddess09's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

I really wanted to love it, but as the story went on it was clear that the main character was accepting that she was abused as love. And abuse is never love. It really bothered me

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse

marywahlmeierbracciano's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

In historical Ethiopia, Andromeda is a debtera in desperate need of a job.  A nineteen-year-old exorcist and religious worker, Andi can cleanse things—and people—of the Evil Eye.  Having grown up in poverty on and off the street, the only person she trusts is herself.  Despite the fact that many more experienced than she have already run screaming from the haunted mansion where she’s just been hired, Andi believes in her ability to complete the job—if not for herself then for the cursed heir who’s gradually stolen her heart.  But the Evil Eye’s presence here is much worse than she’s ever imagined.  This retelling of Jane Eyre is the spooky, sensual, Black-authored read of your nightmares. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness, Domestic abuse, and Animal death