Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

40 reviews

smoakwithwifi's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Gaslighting, Violence, Racism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement

Moderate: Grief, Slavery, and Kidnapping

Minor: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Fire/Fire injury

abookwormspov's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Death, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Sexism, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Slavery, Rape, Emotional abuse, War, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Colonisation, Racism, Cursing, Grief, and Classism

willow_heartfilia's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Gaslighting, Medical content, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, and Death

Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Torture, War, Blood, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Slavery and Rape

Regarding the slavery and rape content warnings, if you read the first book then you should know that

it is regarding situations in the past with the characters’ ancestors. However, unlike the first book where you experience the memory walk and witness some of their traumatic memories, Bloodmarked may refer to that knowledge gained in passing, but it doesn’t show anything as prominent.

saltylane's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

The two books in this series (so far??) are full of emotions and plenty of drama & action. There are many mysteries intertwined, and by the end, most are buttoned up nicely… Others are left to either set up for an additional book or  to give readers something to think about after. 
It’s rough listening to some scenes, especially because the reader is excellent at inflecting intense emotions in their voice acting. There are heartbreaking moments, as well as moments that will leave you mentally yelling at the very-much-flawed characters when  they make questionable decisions. 
The author has a good method of fleshing out characters in a way that makes them very three-dimensional and making their interconnected relationships really show in the best and worst ways. The twist endings and plot points are also ones that make sense and aren’t there only to mess with the reader expectations. The end of this book especially makes me want to know the answers to the many questions left by the last words. If there’s not an additional book in the series, the ending still works, even with threads hanging in uncertain directions. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Murder, Car accident, Grief, Medical content, Racism, Medical trauma, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Confinement, Bullying, and Colonisation

Minor: Misogyny, Vomit, Transphobia, Sexism, Racial slurs, Self harm, Mental illness, and Pregnancy

mimo_'s review

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

tracy deonn, you have done it again, constantly raising the bar for us all and doing it flawlessly.

i am shaking and crying

i want pg 479 printed onto my forehead and framed above my bed

ALSO WHY DID IT END LIKE THAT PLZZZZZZZ

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Grief, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Rape

martin27's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

I had a lot of high expectations set by the first book, and this sequel goes above and beyond. The characters from the first book are just as enjoyable and easily remind me why I love them, and the new characters fit in seamlessly. I especially love that Alice got to be a main member of the cast for this one, since she spent the first book mostly as a background player. 

The world building is incredible and the different real world inspirations are balanced so well. And Deonn is especially good at writing hooks that keep you reading just one more page, just one more chapter… until you’re halfway through the book in one sitting. The twists are wonderful.

Most of all, Bree is just such a wonderful protagonist. It’s impossible not to root for her (pun not intended). She’s a complex character with a lot of hopes, dreams, and fears, and she’s… well, as Valec likes to call her, a powerhouse. It’s so satisfying to see Bree call out hypocrisy and to push back when others want to make her choices for her. She’s a joy to read about, and I’m very patiently awaiting the next book in the series (well, sort of patiently).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gaslighting, Murder, Racism, and Blood

Moderate: Rape, Torture, War, and Medical content

Minor: Vomit

Tagged “torture” because that is specifically what it’s called in the book, but it’s more similar to magical gaslighting, I guess. Tagged “medical content” because while most of the healing in the book is magical, the guy doing the healing is also a med student and usually describes what’s going on

xlipkins's review

adventurous emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Blood, Slavery, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cursing and Murder

Minor: Rape

arobear's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book wasn't perfect, but I still fell in love with it. The characters are a strong point, and this direction away from the university setting was an improvement from the last installment in terms of deeper characterization and fleshing out the lore. It does strike me a funny that

no one cares Bree (an unaccompanied minor) and a bunch of other students left the school with no warning, but I can let that slide lol.

In terms of what was not perfect, I continued to get new characters mixed up, and the ending also left me confused. The action leading up to it was interesting, but the resolution fell a bit fast and flat to me. I'm hoping we'll explore the emotional effects more in the next book.

I'm also pretty fucking salty about what happened to Alice. Please don't kill all my gays!! :'(

On a more personal note, as a queer person and leader I connected with Bree's struggle to be the "first" of everything and follow a legacy that she didn't have a hand in creating, but still felt beholden to. The themes explored helped me look at my situation in a new light and reflect on what my goals are not what they "should be" according to others. I think the author does a great job interweaving the complex themes and relationships with a strong narrative when in other books it can easily become disjointed. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Racism

Moderate: Grief, Blood, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Torture, Rape, Death of parent, and War

jenny_librarian's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I want to throw this book at the wall so bad! Not because it’s bad, but because of that ending that both seems absolutely hopeless and calls for a third book.

I was rooting for a triad the whole freaking book, and I gotta say this author had me worrying multiple time this would be yet another cliché love “triangle”. I really hope wherever she decides to go next with the characters breaks that boundary and allows us to get the beautiful triad we deserve (all romantic or romance and QPR, I don’t care. As long as we *get* it!)

If you think book one delved into Black trauma, I got some news for you… Tracy Deonn took what she included in Legendborn and dialed it to 11. It is BRUTAL, so make sure to check the triggers.

I’m excited for the next book, but I’m worried about all the feelings she’ll make us go through 😵‍💫

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma

Moderate: War, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Classism, Misogyny, Kidnapping, and Racism

Minor: Rape and Grief

katvou's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death, War, and Murder

Moderate: Gaslighting, Death of parent, Violence, Blood, Child death, Racism, Torture, Grief, Medical content, and Slavery

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Drug use, Rape, Pregnancy, Vomit, Classism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Colonisation