Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

71 reviews

andyourstruly's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.25

GGtVaV is a very indulgent queer adventure story.  Though the main cast all struggle with their own hardships, external and internal, the reader always knows they'll overcome to get their happy ending, and in that way, despite themes of racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and physical/emotional abuse, it feels very light.

The author studied history in university, so a lot of the historical details of events and cultural norms are more accurate than your average YA novel, but there are still glaring blind spots, like the author not being well-versed in clothing culture or that almost every educated person would have been fluent in French in the early 1700s, particularly if they had a French parent.

My biggest takeaway with it was that, as fantastical as so many elements were, it seems strange that the author didn't just ... write an adventure where people happened to be queer or black or women.  It felt like a strange decision to hand-wave away a lot of actual problems they may have encountered but to really spend a lot of time projecting modern-day feminism onto a character from the era and bringing up homophobia and racism that wasn't even always period-accurate.  Fun book, may read the sequels, not so invested that I'm prioritizing it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, Ableism, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts

fromjuliereads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

3.0

I think there were aspects of this book done really well, but there were also parts I struggled with. I liked the adventure and the character interactions! I really struggled to like the main character... he honestly had few redeeming qualities. And I get that his behaviour and aspects of the facade were due to how he was treated at home and trauma, but it didn't negate the fact that he's pretty shitty to anyone around him. I also think this book could have been edited down - some parts dragged quite a bit. But overall, I'm glad I read it!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Confinement, Vomit, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Racism, Death, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcoholism

Use of the word n*gro multiple times, epilepsy

oatmeal_oatmeal's review against another edition

3.0

There was a lot I wanted to like about this one— a queer romance in a lighthearted historical fiction seemed interesting to me. The first few chapters I actually enjoyed quite a bit, as they set up the character dynamics, tone, and style of prose well. I thought I knew what I was getting into.

However, partway through, the story pivots into a completely different genre of adventure romp, and this continues until the end. To put it bluntly without spoiling too much, magic is real. The central macguffin of the narrative is an impossible magical cure, and it’s REAL. But the ambiguity of whether this is a historical fiction in our world versus a magical one really takes all the tension out of characters’ arguments and motivations for much of the story. If the alchemical cure is actually just pseudoscience, why does the chase for it matter to me as the reader? I may just not be the target audience, but the mismatch threw me off enough for my engagement to slip away quickly.

I enjoyed the dynamic of the main trio, and the romance between Monty and Percy was sweet. I particularly liked that Monty struggled with believable negative character traits. He is impulsive, noncommittal, and sometimes ‘annoying,’ but I like that he’s allowed to be. However I do have to note that while his privilege in his world is discussed on occasion, I don’t know if it’s explored as well as it could have been. His traveling partners Percy (an epileptic person of color) and Felicity (a young woman interested in medicine) both have their own unique obstacles that Monty never has to grapple with. Additionally Percy and his health/future are major sources of tension, but he barely has any autonomy in this story. He’s mostly along for the ride, despite his perspective being the most complex and thought-provoking in the book.

Idk I’m just putting thoughts out there, I was just a little underwhelmed :/

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Racism

Minor: Forced institutionalization

deetabz's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Sexism, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Blood, Misogyny, Violence, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, and Death

Minor: Medical content, Biphobia, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, and Body horror

eidal's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Blood

Moderate: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Racial slurs, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Sexism, and Racism

Minor: Ableism, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Murder, Cursing, Drug use, and Slavery

komiification's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Racism

Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Kidnapping

Minor: Drug use and Homophobia

redroseses's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny informative lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Violence, Religious bigotry, Racism, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Gun violence, and Blood

Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Classism, Child abuse, and Death

Minor: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Slavery, and Infidelity

lady_of_books's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny informative 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content and Kidnapping

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Alcoholism

Minor: Physical abuse, Abandonment, and Vomit

mickij's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

5.0

Ooo! A book got 5 whole stars! Usually, that means it did something extraordinary, and it did exactly that! I have never been so sure I wanted to buy a book in my life!

Beyond that, I suppose I should talk about the book. This book is utterly fascinating for a variety of reasons. For one, it's grounded in history but it's not bleak for the characters of color. Slavery is mentioned, as it somewhat has to be for a book set in the 18th century, it's not weighing heavily on the narrative. A second thing is that 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Alcohol, Body horror, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Racism, and Vomit

Minor: Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, and Sexism

changelingreader_adrian's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Racism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Colonisation, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, and Kidnapping

Minor: Self harm and Sexual content