Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

35 reviews

craftysnailtail's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

I could see a certain type of person really loving this book, but it absolutely wasn't for me. The neverending tragic backstory reveals felt incredibly tropey. Show me a woman in this novel and she will be "strong" because she survived so much abuse. Everything in this book was traumatic, depressing, and often ended poorly for all the women involved. I understand the fight against injustice, but it felt too heavy handed for me. 

3.5 stars because the plot was interesting (though far too drawn out), and I enjoyed how magical knowledge is passed down through generations. I even liked the sisters themselves. But for a book with witches and lesbians, I thought I would've enjoyed it much more than I did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Sexism, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence

Moderate: Outing, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Alcoholism, Grief, Sexual assault, Murder, Transphobia, Racism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Classism, Abandonment, Abortion, and Addiction

issamay's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Torture, Misogyny, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Abortion, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Animal cruelty

abicaro17's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This may be the best book i've ever read. I laughed, I cried, I felt seen. This book is what it's like to be a woman. Anything you do is demonized but when a man does it he's praised. Alix E. Harrow writes about how "behind every witch is a woman wrong." (445) and creates beautifully complex characters like Agnes that show a true beauty and a true darkness in femininity. Juniper is a feral, selfish, and damaged girl but

her final act is to do something so selfless it saves all future witches. She bears the burden so that the future of her niece and all other mothers and daughters won't have to.

I could spend hours describing my love and adoration for this book. The emotional and storied complexity for even minor characters like Jennie and Mr. Blackwell are so outstanding and enriching. I think Harrow needs all the awards and I'm devastated i'll never be able to read this book for the first time again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Classism, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Transphobia, Racism, Police brutality, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Gore, Gaslighting, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Torture, Suicide, Misogyny, and Homophobia

queclecumber's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Police brutality, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Animal death, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse

Minor: Confinement, Medical trauma, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Chronic illness, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment

lindsayerin's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal cruelty

eleanora's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, and Racism

Minor: Alcohol, Colonisation, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Torture, and Violence

kylaeduff's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Torture, Religious bigotry, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, and Sexism

Minor: Transphobia and Vomit

guessgreenleaf's review

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Violence, War, Animal death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual harassment, Torture, and Xenophobia

Minor: Kidnapping, Abortion, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Terminal illness

spineofthesaurus's review

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Torture, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Self harm, Stalking, Violence, Medical trauma, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Outing

Moderate: Ableism, Abortion, Alcoholism, Genocide, Murder, Excrement, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual assault, Racism, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Police brutality, Animal death, and Hate crime

Minor: Xenophobia, Alcohol, Slavery, Deadnaming, Classism, and Colonisation

skyeoak's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Sexism, and Animal death

Moderate: Racism and Transphobia