Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Magma by Thora Hjörleifsdóttir

32 reviews

kaltain's review

emotional fast-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Blood, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Rape, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Cursing, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, and Vomit

mbjrose99's review

I read the first 69 and last 20 pages and quite honestly a book has never disgusted me as much as this one.  I understand the authors aim, but I am still quite frankly, horrified and reeling.  Read the last few pages to see if it would get better and it in fact got so ,Ucd worse.  I feel quite justified in giving it up.

I have no idea how this got onto the Dublin Literary Award long list, but I hope it doesn’t make the short list because if it does, it’s incredibly suspicious.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault

lsmith36's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book was like a freight train and felt very real to me in a way that made me uncomfortable but also seen.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Drug use, and Pregnancy

candyrushed's review

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault

samarakroeger's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.25

HUGE trigger warning for self harm oh my god. 

I think fans of Conversations With Friends would eat this up (including me)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Gaslighting, and Pregnancy

travelseatsreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

At first glance it seems 20 year old Lilja has met the one! He's handsome, he’s intelligent & he reads, but it becomes apparent quite quickly that he is far from Mr. Right. She starts seeing him most days, moves in & slowly she becomes entrenched in a relationship full of abuse, manipulation & gaslighting & unfortunately she's unable to see the wood for the trees.

Thóra tells Lilja's story using short diary-like chapters which gives the reader an insight into the tortuous events Lilja experiences daily. I think this format worked beautifully for this piece as it really allowed us into the mind of Lilja & how she was experiencing & interpreting the situation. People often look in at abusive relationships & pontificate the age old line "Why doesn't she leave?". Thóra's brutal showing of Lilja's inner thought's answers that quite quickly. We see her mental health & any scrap of belief in herself be completely obliterated until the point where she believes it's all her fault & she sees no alternative, besides making herself 'better'. This evoked some strong emotions as I really just wanted Lilja to be able to see her own self worth & to be able to escape this torment.

This book does not apologise for being raw & brutal in its telling of Lilja's story. With unflinching honesty Hjörleifsdóttir shows the deep effects of gaslighting & domestic abuse. The format of the chapters along with Thóra's beautiful yet tense prose had me holding my breath at many points. I couldn’t bear to put it down & finished in one sitting.

Unfortunately, when some authors write victims of abuse they can portray them in an almost naive & weak manner but I loved that Hjörleifsdóttir portrays Lilja as a strong, beautiful & intelligent young woman who has succumbed to a torrent of abuse.

Thóra Hjörleifsdóttir has tackled the rampant pandemic issue of domestic abuse with a raw & brutal yet beautiful & considerate touch & shines a light on the fact that there are so many more Lilja's sitting out there in desperation, isolation & silence.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

bookishcori's review

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Self harm

Moderate: Fatphobia and Body shaming

Minor: Drug use

raniaa's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Rape, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness

Minor: Vomit and Fatphobia

kate_reads_books's review

fast-paced

3.0

Oohf. If you haven't been in a an abusive relationship (emotional, mental or physical abuse) this book gives you an insight into what it is like. This book was triggering as fuck. I wish I had read more reviews / more about the plot before reading.
This is a short but very confronting story about a young woman desperately in love and eager to please her extremely abusive boyfriend who won't call himself or admit to being her boyfriend. Not only is he gaslighting her, emotionally abusing her and cheating on her, he also coerces her to complete sexual acts she isn't comfortable doing to 'win' his love and affection.
Reader beware. As a victim of sexual assult and an abusive relationship  I wish I had gone into this book more aware of the story. If I had I absolutely wouldn't have read it. 
Despite the depiction of abuse, it is a well written story and captivating for sure. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt

whatvictoriaread's review

challenging dark emotional sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Sexual violence, Blood, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit