Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor

14 reviews

giuliabifrost's review

adventurous funny relaxing 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? No

3.0

Un libro interessante nel concept della storia che regge bene per la prima parte, mi sono sorpresa di come dopo un primo piccolo momento di stasi si sia risollevato mostrando spunti interessanti: temevo che l'hotel sarebbe stato un curioso sfondo per una storia che facesse dell'amore la sua spinta principale invece no, l'hotel è una parte importante che viene approfondita così come lo staff e i segreti che nasconde. Per una volta mantiene quello che promette regalandoci un setting interessante che da delle vibes 'fabbrica di cioccolato' per un pubblico più maturo. La storia in sè però non mi ha convinta molto, non vedo degli sviluppi nei personaggi ma piuttosto un progredire meccanico verso il punto in cui riescono a fare quello che devono. La fine è un pò sbrigativa e superficiale per i miei gusti ma tutto sembra quadrare. Lo rileggerei per il ''world building'' peccato che scorderò sicuramente la trama con il tempo, decisamente sottotono rispetto alla curiosità dell'hotel. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Grief, Violence, and Torture

jess7son's review

adventurous dark 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? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Physical abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Classism, and Body horror

a_cera_t0ps's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

This book had a good amount of exposition and additional detail. It had many romance tropes, but still kept up the main plot without cheapening the story. There was never a sudden "i just met this person but now I'm madly jealous of someone talking to them," never a romance that upends the purpose of the story. It tried to stay balanced. The romance was heavy: 50% romance, 50% plot. There are a good few unnecessary plottwists/decisions that only added so much. Overall, the book was enjoyable, even if it wasn't revolutionary.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Murder, Grief, Kidnapping, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Death, and Physical abuse

Minor: Torture, Slavery, Trafficking, and Medical content

vjlp22_reader's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Physical abuse

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, and Gore

emhromp's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny tense medium-paced

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

4.5

What. A. Ride. 
This was *a lot* darker and crueler than I thought it was going to be. I actually liked that a lot about this book.
This first 25% of the book was a little bit unhinged, it felt as though the writer had to catch her stride, but the book just got better and better. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Murder, Violence, Physical abuse, and Torture

katvou's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Slavery, Gore, Murder, Violence, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Alcohol, Death of parent, Medical content, Physical abuse, Body horror, Sexual content, Child death, and Dementia

spookily's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.75

Lovable characters: "It's complicated" because, while some of the side characters are arguably lovable, the MC is intolerable. She spends the entire novel jumping to conclusions, acting impulsively, and excusing her own behavior by claiming that her stubbornness is a virtue, even when it puts her and her sister in greater danger. She's rude, self-centered, and extremely difficult to sympathize with or root for.

Diverse characters: "It's complicated" because the author has a weird obsession with showing off how many colors she can list for skin tones. Every single unnamed side character is described by some inane set of words like "the copper-skinned boy," "mocha" "olive" "porcelain" etc. etc.. It essentially feels like she is just filling the room with as many "diverse" looking characters as possible without having to put in the work to incorporate an actual sense of diversity into the story.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Death, Torture, Blood, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, and Vomit

Minor: Death of parent, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Cursing, Excrement, Confinement, Alcohol, and Classism

kokonoka's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

Unappealing start with unlikable MC, the picks up speed and becomes wildly imaginative and tense. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Physical abuse

brokentoes's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Perfect blend of “Howl’s Moving Castle” and “Spirited Away”

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, Classism, Emotional abuse, Death, and Blood

Minor: Sexual content

monniebiloney's review

adventurous dark mysterious relaxing medium-paced

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

3.75

Pros:
has a wonderful setting
I liked the horror elements, especially at the beginning of the book
The ending was satisfying

cons:
The ramance fell flat. They were trying to go for some kind of enemies to lovers like tension but Idk if I just hate Enemies to lovers, or this book make it real really boring.

The main character also felt very entitled to other people's lives which bothered me. Like you are NOT owed the secrets of your aquantenses, let alone your friends. The amount of times he got mad at Bel, who wasn't even her boyfriend yet, for not telling her stuff like, was kidn go anoying.


The fact the MC also was clumbsy, but only clbsy when the plot called for it was also quite anoying.


All in all, I was planning on rathong the book 3 stars, but I felt the ending was satisfying enough to bump it up to 3.75. If Bel and the Main character weren't a couple and instead they focused more time on Beatrice, I probably would have rather the book 4.75.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Classism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Murder, Vomit, Torture, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Trafficking, Animal cruelty, and Animal death