Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

84 reviews

malakahmed639's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I'd give it 2.5 but it's 3.5 cuz it's still enjoyable yet an expectable one with expectable ending. 
The first 40% were making it hard to get into, too much inner monologue and info dumping that u skipped. The reason the other 60% was better because the interaction with Preston (a nice gentleman) was fun but I don't get the romantic chemistry between them it seemed forced. Also why does it seem like she is starting to heal because of her night with him😭. I still don't get how is architecture below literature it doesn't make senses. I started this one bec it's Gothic (they say) and the Mc wanted literature but chose architecture, that's what I am doing rn but obv not for the same reason 🤡. Didn't start my 1st year of architecture yet but I am sure making blueprints isn't that easy as making sketches for a drawing even if it's in mid 20s it doesn't work like that😭

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

aleilvandrea's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Dementia, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Infidelity, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

hal00alex's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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

4.5

Fantasy take on a very interesting time period with dark academia vibes. The characters did very well with the enemies to lovers as it didn’t seem rushed and the dialogue was actually funny. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Drug use

ameliedj's review

This started off interesting but around the middle point it got messy and not worth my time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence

shellbell_04's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

The plot was fine, but the romance aspect was cuteeee

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content

sydresnik's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

florecita_lectora's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

sfeldmann's review against another edition

The plot really goes everywhere in this book. I tried to read it after DNFing it last year to give it another shot. I just can’t get into it. The atmosphere is great but all the themes and messages of the book are heavy handed and leave little room for the action of the characters and the plot to show the readers of just tell them. The romance isn’t bad either but it is a little bit insta-lovey. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Murder

Minor: Alcoholism

cadimy's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.25

Architecture student gets chosen to design a home for her favorite author’s estate. At no point does she actually do what she was hired to do. She’s off hanging out with the other kid from her school and snooping around the house. 

I get what the author was trying to do with the heavy misogyny and how it affects the MC deeply, so I did appreciate that at times. Unfortunately I had no connection to any of the characters- they fell so flat and there was no chemistry to be found.

Also, little to no backstory on the fairy king?? Why was he hanging around? He was apparently “stuck” on the estate because of the trees and berries everywhere but that doesn’t explain how he escaped to almost steal the MC? She said she saw him all of the time, but how? Not much story building, and the backstory of the north vs south seemed unnecessary other than to sprinkle in some racism for the characters. 

I listened to the audiobook on a road trip, and the fact that I finished it gives it 2 stars, maybe 2.5. I was kind of hoping for a dark ending where her love interest was over taken by the fairy king.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry

tori_borialis's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

The vibes are excellent. The plot is okay. The main characters kinda suck. There were a lot of interesting things going on in this book that I would have loved to focus on, rather than Effy’s flagrant xenophobia and prejudice. Also, do she and Preston have any actual reasons to like each other aside from a shared interest in literature and being stuck in a remote, crumbling estate together? I feel like we never learn anything about Preston at all, other than his hairless forearms and shiny status as not-an-asshole-to-women. Idk man, could have been great, I enjoyed the spookiness, but upon further inspection the meat of the story is threadbare. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence