Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

El Encuadernador / The Binding by Bridget Collins

63 reviews

saramcaps's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

2.75

This starts off very slow and unsure—there are a lot of unanswered questions and mysteries. But, once we got some answers in book 2, the plot headed down a clear path.

It’s a really sweet against-all-odds love story by the end. However, I think that comes secondary to the moral dilemma of memory removal. It’s very Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind but shows how power over memory would be weaponized by the elite and demonized by the masses. It’s ultimately a beautiful take on what stories are at their core.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Physical abuse and Violence

Minor: Homophobia and Alcohol

a dog is beaten to death, a young woman hangs herself following repeated sexual assaults and a main character attempts to save her, a man is murdered, a main character’s family threatens to disown him after finding out he is gay

geka's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

Het verhaal sleept zich traag voort en met de personages had ik geen klik. Ook zijn de dialogen langdradig. Worldbuilding was wel leuk, alhoewel er heel veel details werden verteld, wat je uit het verhaal trok. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty

archkyrology's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

"Am I more than you bargained for yet" -Fall Out Boy

In an attempt to play around with the memory wiping aspect to create a mystery, it just becomes confusing. The first half of the book is slow, relaxed, and curious enough to keep you reading. The second half was very fast and genuinely upsetting almost the entire time. I wish a lot of aspects had been done differently. Also a very cliffhanger ending for a book that doesn't have a sequel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Violence, Excrement, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

aamina's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Abortion, Murder, and Alcohol

jenn_bookstitcher's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, and Vomit

madridom96's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Physical abuse, Rape, Murder, and Outing

katkinslee's review against another edition

emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.0

It was an interesting read but it definitely didn't have enough about the actual magic of binding and the ending was so abrupt that it really took away from the enjoyment of it all

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Rape

melissalivanos's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury

Being outed, coming out and it going very very badly

taliastorm's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

chichio's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

THIS IS EASILY THE BEST BOOK I’VE READ THIS YEAR SO FAR OH MY GOD.

I read this alongside the audiobook available on Libby and it was such an experience. Such. An. Experience. I was literally on the coach with my headphones on, teary eyed at so many different parts of the book.

The book is split up into three parts and each part feels so different that it almost tricks you into thinking that you’re not even reading the same book—but you are. And that’s what makes it so marvellous. Everything ties up so perfectly at the very end. 

The world building that Bridget Collins has achieved in this novel… absolutely unbelievable. I could quite literally see everything playing out behind my mind’s eye, as clear as a scene in a movie.
 
And it was so interesting to see how the fantastical elements of the book actually worked as a backdrop to a LOVE STORY. I really didn’t expect that but I loved it… I loved every single second of it. I definitely think people need to go into this story without knowing ANYTHING—it works better to enter the story just as confused as our narrator. 

Part 3… LUCIAN’S POV? GUYS I WAS TEARING UP THROUGHOUT THAT WHOLE PART LIKE I WAS SO SO SURE HE WOULDN'T GET HIS MEMORIES BACK LIKE I WAS SICK TO MY STOMACH LIKE HIS FIRST REACTION TO EMMETT AHHHHHHHHHHHH

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence