Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Gild by Raven Kennedy

190 reviews

maureeeeeen's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Death, and Rape

bvippolito's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Definitely an interesting story from an interesting perspective. I did enjoy reading this, ate it up in 1 day. Very importantly, there are several content warnings that are noteable (see content warnings) but the main character is interesting and I’m looking forward to spending more time with her and seeing her grow.

I would say it’s important to know what you’re getting into, as the subject matter is blunt and there are many aspects of this book that can be triggering. 

Also I think it’s important to know that this is book 1 of 6, so it’s definitely slow for a while but it’s definitely purposeful to build the world and relationships before the story takes off. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Confinement, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Bullying and Death

jennipea382's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Gore, Infidelity, Child abuse, Death, Violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Grief, Rape, and Confinement

Minor: Alcohol, Classism, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, and Adult/minor relationship

makaylastep's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Cursing, Death, Trafficking, Rape, Physical abuse, Torture, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Kidnapping, and Violence

jera_0_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Rape

Minor: Torture, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

kloughlin's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

1.0

This book was an absolute waste of my time to read and, by far, the worst book I’ve read this year. The writing was horrible. Scenes stretched on for entirely too long. Do we really need multiple chapters to describe the day-to-day activities of the caravan as they trek to Fifth Kingdom?

Sail is only introduced so the author has a character to kill off and named what he’s named so a pun can be made after his death.

Give me a main character with some flaws that aren’t actually hidden strengths. I ended up hating Auren, the most wish-washy of characters. Is she a drunk? Does she have Stockholm syndrome? She’s been a prisoner for ten years yet she acts like a person newly held prisoner. She refuses orders and speaks out despite knowing she could be killed for her actions but then the threats leveled against her for those actions are never followed through with.

The only thing she can do when Rissa is being raped is tell the captain to stop. Her next step is turning him into gold—nothing in between.

Even the twist at the end is predicable.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual content and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

beckyj514's review

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Confinement, and Sexual content

capitalf's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Torture, Rape, Trafficking, and Toxic relationship

carithecandy's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

2.75

Während der ersten 75% des Buches war ich mir nicht sicher, ob ich weiterlesen sollte, da gefült alle 2 Seiten einfach nur für den Plot unnötige Gewalt gegen Frauen zu lesen war, ich die mentale Stabilität der Hauptcharakterin sehr stark angezweifelt habe (und noch immer tue) und alles in Allem sehr befremdlich war.
Das Ende war zwar nicht weniger gewaltvoll, doch wenigstens hat es geschafft, dass ich mich zumindest ansatzweise dafür interessiere, wie es wohl weitergeht. Ob ich den 2. Teil irgendwann lesen wollen würde weiß ich aber noch nicht...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Kidnapping, Death, Emotional abuse, and Confinement

Minor: Vomit

phias_book_corner's review

I could not get into this book! Not only was the FMC an absolute pain to read about - her inner monologues had me rolling my eyes so far back I thought they’d get stuck that way. And seriously Stockholm syndrome of this magnitude?? You love him, I get it. He uses you to get what he wants and you still don’t get it!! And he was going to give you to another man and yet you carry on and still love him, but oh there are “cracks” now?? The whole “relationship” should have splintered! 

And the way women are written about? The things men do to them! No thank you. 

Apparently it gets better, but I can’t make myself sit through it to actually get to that part. 

I don’t like reading books where I want to physically slap the characters for stupidity without reason ( you know to further the plot or something) and want to gouge my eyes out. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship