Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Moja mroczna Vanesso by Kate Elizabeth Russell

30 reviews

skye_c's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Animal death, Death of parent, Drug use, Addiction, and Alcohol

hiraeth_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol

Minor: Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, and Animal death

nineinchnails's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

i feel weird reviewing and even rating this book considering the subject matter because even though it's technically fiction it feels horribly invasive, like reading someone's diary. it is very well written with beautiful prose and a protagonist who is extremely real and raw. the book did run a little long, especially considering there was little character development outside of vanessa but overall it was an extremely gripping read.

i would not recommend reading this as a survivor of rape and especially of child sexual abuse, more because of how adamant vanessa is that she was not abused than how graphic the abuse is written. it can be very hard to stomach her constant romanticisation and denial of strane's abuse, despite how obvious it us to us as readers that he manipulated her. 'manipulate' does not feel like anywhere near as strong of a word to portray how he controlled and exploited her.

vanessa is not a 'perfect victim' and she struggles with this well into adulthood; the idea that a woman must be perfectly chaste, perfectly humble, perfectly innocent, and perfectly untouched by the world to be believed or taken seriously as a victim is one that permeates our society to this day. what was she wearing?, she lead him on, she was asking for it, she wanted it. this novel does an incredible job at giving a voice to the many survivors who (unsurprisingly) don't fit that mould and showing a different perspective. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Physical abuse, Death, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Infidelity, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Classism, Drug abuse, Grief, Body horror, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Mass/school shootings, and Vomit

Grooming, Dissociation, Post traumatic stress disorder, Child sexual abuse, and Student/teacher relationship

ayladdy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Rape, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Self harm, Stalking, Suicide, Infidelity, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, and Suicide attempt

madelinego's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Extremely painful to read despite being engrossed by the story- this book wrecked me and I know I’ll find myself thinking about it months from now. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

katreena's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Rape, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual content

lilacwhisker's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

pretty much every review talking about this book says it’s a “conversation-starter", and after reading this thing i understand why. my dark vanessa is a story about a girl who gets groomed by her teacher, but won't admit she was sexually abused. the whole thing (especially the start) is horrifying because of the events that occur but also because of vanessa's insistence that she wanted the whole thing to happen to her. this extra layer of denial is what makes this whole book so much more sad— seeing her call what they have "love" made me want to vomit, but i do think this can be accurate to how a lot of victims can feel. it's clear that russell did her research on this kind of abuse and trauma, and throughout we come to see how complicated both vanessa and her abuser are. it did get a little repetitive near the end, but this makes sense considering how such abuse works in cycles, and the length of their relationship. it really was a crazy book, and somewhat reminds me of notes on an execution by danya kukafka

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, and Rape

Moderate: Alcohol and Stalking

Minor: Classism, Death of parent, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Incest, Infidelity, Addiction, and Animal death

ellementary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

This book wrecked me. I am still emotionally shook from reading it... completely excavated. It is not the kind of book you delightedly recommend to everyone you know but, my God, was it impossible to put down. I was mesmerized by this story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Child abuse

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Drug use, Suicide, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Alcohol, and Stalking

Minor: Vomit, Infidelity, and Death of parent

sharlapeggy's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

saskiahill's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Rape, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Death and Grief

Minor: Stalking and Infidelity