Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

Deerskin by Robin McKinley

33 reviews

smuttymcbookface's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

4.0

Princess Lissla is daughter to the most loved couple in the Kingdom. Unable to take their eyes off one another, it looks like a fairytale to everyone. Except, they, and their kingdom, overlook their only child.

When the most beautiful woman in all the Kingdoms, the Queen, dies, and makes the King promise never to remarry unless the person is more beautiful than she is, he falls into a grief. A different kingdom gift Lissla a fleethound to help with her grief, and through this fleethound, Ash, she finds strength to be seen by those she wishes.

Years later, when she's just turned 17, the King realises that she is just as beautiful as her mother was, and so demands that she marries him in three days. Despite her attempts to lock herself away, he attacks her before their marriage.

Clinging onto her last piece of strength, she leaves the castle to a forest, where she and Ash are reborn, though with lasting scars from her trauma.

Deerskin was a beautiful story, told in a fairytale narrative. It was easy to feel what the characters felt, and to understand the hurt, the loss, and the bonds that formed. In addition, it was so sweet to read about the fleethound, and how the character quirks line up exactly with the sighthounds of these ages.

I have two things that I didn't like about this story. The first is that I found it too long-winded in certain parts. Thoughts and ideas were often repeated to show a train of thought, but when this happened consistently through scenes, it became difficult to read. My second issue was with the fantastical elements; I sometimes found these quite hard to follow, or when I did follow, a little ridiculous (

such as when she bled a tree from her vagina in the throne room?

). I loved the premise of the moonwoman, and her escape through her, but some things were taken a little too far.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Miscarriage, Incest, and Rape

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse

thewileyseven's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Incest, Sexual violence, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Miscarriage

Lissar's father rapes her within the first 75 pages of the book. She escapes, and has a miscarriage of the fetus produced by that violence. She spends much of the book repressing the traumatic memories thereof. It is a very smart depiction of PTSD and general trauma. Her healing journey is realistic, hopeful, and vindicating.

lavenderdolmeh's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful slow-paced

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

4.5

Dark fairytales and dogs. Very good

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Incest, and Rape

generaljinjur's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

cried on at least three separate occasions reading this; really appreciated some of the early craft moves by McKinleyn

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Miscarriage

jehart's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Rape, and Incest

Moderate: Miscarriage

lillizzy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Rape, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Sexual violence, and Incest

beccaskeck's review

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

Beautiful story about a controversial topic that can be very uncomfortable to read or discuss. I loved that the author was able to incorporate such a sensitive subject, and show how a person can grow and heal from trauma, given enough time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Incest

Moderate: Miscarriage

lottomotto's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-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

1.0

Wasted fantasy storytelling. I realize this story is dated but it didn’t challenged some boundaries or stretch a classic myth into a unique yarn .

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Violence

holycarollyreading's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Miscarriage, and Rape

dreamreader's review against another edition

Beautifully and sensitively written, but way too triggering for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse