Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Brook Tsai

6 reviews

atlasshrugged's review against another edition

the creature simply being a disabled human disgusted me especially because they repeatedly called them creature and "it". in such a supposedly progressive book id not expect such disgusting ableism. also the amount of noncon and pregnancy/birth horror triggered me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, and Racism

solenekeleroux's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Medical content, and Toxic relationship

amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

I wanted to through this book across the room multiple times in frustration with various characters. In this fairly faithful retelling, Tsai uses modern embryology and fertility science. As with the source material, the story starts with a stranger, in this case, Ko, an intern, giving Z shelter. Z then tells her story, starting with her childhood and leading up to the monster appearing and telling their story. 

The retelling is fresh.

The story line of Z basically violating her partners consent made me sick to my stomach and so angry I almost stopped reading. 

it ends very different then the original book. It was a little to and then the monster got a family. While satisfying, I found it hard to believe they would want to raise a murderous child. 

 

I love Frankenstein retellings, but I do not love the source material. I find Victor whiny, I get irritated in his choices and his inability to learn. This retelling brought that part of Victor to the page with little change. Z was just as insufferable and irritating as Victor.  The prose feels very reminiscent of Mary Shelley. Z, in particular, is voiced in purple prose. 

If you like Frankenstein, you should think about trying this book out. The questions around science and progress vs ethics were fully developed and explored. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, Child death, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Emotional abuse

Eugenics

gmdho2023's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, and Toxic relationship

nicolaaa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Blood, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Abandonment, Incest, Emotional abuse, and Child death

nonbinaryreading's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Child death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Racism, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, and Stalking

Minor: Murder and Blood