Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever

16 reviews

iridaceae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and War

Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Colonisation, Drug use, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racism, Torture, and Vomit

awhitehouse's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

4.0

screaming and crying, haven't read a book so emotionally destructive in a while. my interest in the book started to peter out toward the second half solely because i could predict the ending and found it unsatisfying. which it sort of is but also isn't. i think the characters are so compelling and interesting, though i was biased towards julian and hated paul for most of the book. julian's pleading was so !!!! and his feelings and motivations becoming more clear as the book progressed was maybe my favourite part. the unreliable narration of paul is so good. in conclusion, loved and hated this book- unsure about the rating??
codepent mutually destructive relationships are so. julian is begging for his love throughout the book and paul doesn't notice bc he's so consumed by his own self hatred? 

"you liked it. i knew you were going to. should i fight back like you said? I'll do anything you say, I want whatever you want-"
"i love you... i really do. i wish you could tell"
"i would have done /anything/ for you. i thought you'd finally trust me if you knew i'd kill for you..."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual assault

mahinabooks's review

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Sexual assault

Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

rosieposie_5_'s review

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I can’t say this is a perfect book — I only just finished it and listened to it via audiobook — but I can say that it is memorable. 

Paul, our main character, is a withdrawn and angry kid(only 16–17) going to college with people he cannot relate to. until… Julian comes in. Julian is so different in upbringing and personality but carries the same kind of sadness and loneliness that Paul does. Immediately they click, and immediately it’s obvious that they are terrible for each other. The development of their relationship and the directions it takes never come as a surprise but they still come together to create a haunting picture. 

This is not a book with a happy beginning, middle, or end. It is not a book with heroic and happy characters. These Violent Delights is a book where the protagonist and antagonist are the same person. 
The relationships and people are realistic in their shortcomings and mistakes and emotions and it is tragic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm

calicot's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia and Murder

Minor: Sexual assault

rotatinglibrary's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book is dark. Like reading next to a candle stub in a hurricane dark. It’s also beautifully written. The style reminds me specifically of the Vegas chapters of The Goldfinch. 

Near the climax of the book, These Violent Delights becomes almost a satire. Paul’s violence and Julian’s black moods feel contrived. 
They wait for each other to make the next move, never anticipating their own. Other elements in this book do feel real, though. Paul’s sisters and their aloofness, his mother’s anxious fluttering. Julian’s loathing of his family’s wealth and status. The fury of other people just being wrong and not caring. 

Can I say I liked this book? Not really. It disturbed me. It stuck in my head for days after I finished it. I don’t exactly recommend it. If you want an example of stellar writing of a festering immature relationship gone to hell, this is it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Antisemitism, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism

Other content warnings:drugging, kidnapping, stammer, injury, car accident, codependency, politics, profanity