Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian

19 reviews

edatta's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

A tense historical novel, though definitely not a thriller. The courtroom scenes were infuriating!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Violence

Minor: Child abuse

blyons313's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Minor: Sexual violence

glitchkitsch's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexism, Infertility, Racism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Rape

Moderate: Infidelity, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Death, and Alcoholism

Minor: Toxic friendship, Abortion, Animal death, and Acephobia/Arophobia

Triggering content is period typical. It's historical fiction taking place in colonial New England, if you aren't prepared for sexism, racism, and a theocratic society, maybe skip this novel. The ending has

a satisfying payoff for the main character, though.

deirdrelk's review

sad slow-paced

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

2.0

I really wanted to like this book but the plot just wasn’t there. It was just pages and pages of abuse wrapped up in historical fiction, with almost no mystery to the plot. The only thing that kept me from giving it one star was the ending. I am confused where all the positive reviews are coming from.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Infertility, Misogyny, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Racial slurs, Bullying, Death of parent, and Miscarriage

clevelandy99's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense 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? No

5.0

This was an excellent book! Quite the page turner— I couldn’t put it down (or, pause the audiobook I should say.) The plot was excellent, surprising and fresh. The characters were complex and believable.

 I think one of my favorite aspects of the book was the way the author handled the historical context— while context and vocabulary was steeped in the time the book is set in, it wasn’t as dense as puritan writing often was. This allowed for a more immersive experience when reading from the modern perspective. I loved that experience. 

Another favorite aspect from this book: I loved Mary. I rooted for her the entire story. Sometimes characters make “wrong” decisions that can be really frustrating, but I was on her side even when I disagreed with her tactics. 

This has been one of my favorite reads in a long time! Definitely recommend it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Violence

Moderate: Colonisation

Minor: Blood, Racism, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

sjanke2's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence

henrygravesprince's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Violence, and Racism

Moderate: Miscarriage, Incest, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Colonisation

Minor: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

kb_sherman's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Sexism

Moderate: Alcohol, Infertility, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Animal death, Colonisation, Incest, Infidelity, and Vomit

amvoreads's review

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

kimveach's review

challenging dark emotional informative tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This was a fascinating look at one of the first divorce cases in 1600s Boston amongst the Puritans.  While the book was slower-paced than his contemporary novels, I still had a hard time putting it down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism and Colonisation

Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Incest, Infidelity, and Terminal illness