Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Goddess of Nothing At All by Cat Rector

10 reviews

ginalucia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I've been craving exactly this type of Norse Mythology retelling for such a long time, and now that I have it, I couldn't be more thrilled.

Instead of seeing the story of Ragnarok from a male god or character’s perspective. We get to see it unfold through the eyes of Sigyn. A character that Cat Rector has perfected into one that’s relatable, strong, and full of feminine rage. 

If you love feminine rage in Greek Myth retellings and have been seeking that out in your Norse books - this is it guys!

The writing style is effortless, making it easy to get lost in the story. But what really stands out are the characters - they're front and center, driving the story forward, and everything else flows around them seamlessly. I had an absolute blast immersing myself in their world.

The Goddess of Nothing at all is absolutely fantastic. I loved every moment of this long and winding journey, and what's even better, there’s queer rep throughout.

If you're a fan of Norse Mythology, but want a different perspective, or you’re a fan of myth retellings that focus on women, this book is a must-read.

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, and Torture

dcnireads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Abandonment, Death, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Child death, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, War, Death of parent, Infidelity, Torture, Homophobia, Cannibalism, Mental illness, Grief, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Violence

Minor: Alcoholism

mythian's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Death, and Murder

caribougoat's review

adventurous dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Torture, Violence, Homophobia, Grief, Pregnancy, Death, Gore, War, and Bullying

alicia_ann_reads's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

This was an excellent retelling of the story of Loki and Sigyn from her point of view. I love Norse mythology and gobbled up Neil Gaiman's versions.

While I knew the general outline/outcome of their stories it was really refreshing to hear.it told from this perspective.

I did find that the middle part of the book dragged a bit. There is a lot of history and minor stories in the mythology and some just went on a little too long. Ragnarok was very fast paced and well done. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Blood, Gore, Violence, and Torture

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Animal death

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

jura_atmos's review

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• 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: Death, Child death, Animal death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Transphobia, Sexual content, Torture, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, War, Toxic relationship, Violence, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

stillnotstars's review

i picked this up bc i was browsing idly through some norse mythology book lists and am always curious about how queer loki is depicted---dark/gritty sff is not a genre i tend to read, so take this with a grain of salt.

i didn't find this very interesting as someone who's read the myths/eddas. this doesn't feel super different from other retellings/adaptations that're sympathetic with loki, but maybe i've just read five million of them. rector just gets way into the gore, which like---yeah, i know you warned me about it, i know it's on the tin, it just really does not add that much to the myths or anyone's characterization for me? i guess this is probably more interesting if you haven't tried to hunt down and read every norse mythology retelling you can get your hands on.

wrt queerness... well, at least loki didn't shapeshift into a woman once for the sleipnir myth and never again? but still, don't make me tap the sign [sexuality as an identity rather than an act is a 20th century concept tied to modernity and the rise of the individual; queerness did not exist the same way in 13th century iceland and in 2022] [also, someone's pronouns don't necessarily change based on their genitals and presentation]

i have lots of questions about why sigyn's this pale on the cover. like, isn't she mixed?

there are cw's on the author's website but it doesn't mention memory manipulation in addition to what's listed there.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Medical content, Torture, and Violence

soswiin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, War, Homophobia, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Vomit

tinyelfarcanist's review

dark emotional 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

An outstanding debut novel from master story weaver Cat Rector.

From Grace Zhu's awesome cover art to the intriguing synopsis, I knew this book was meant for me.

As someone already acquainted with most of the myths included, this heart-rendering retelling of Sygin's life in the likeness of Circe surpassed my expectations.

The Goddess of Nothing At All has one of the best romances I've read. It includes my favorite depiction of Loki: he's complex, dreamy, and flawed. Sygin, while being a goddess, is still relatable. I loved the portrayal of gods as humane and spiteful, the display of the hardships of partnership and parenthood, and the queer representation.

I was fortunate to be an ARC reader and I want to thank the author for the opportunity to read such an amazing tale. This is a dark novel not suited for the faint of heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Grief, Sexual violence, and Transphobia

Minor: Death of parent, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, and War

cedence's review

adventurous emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Cursing

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Animal death

Minor: Sexual assault and Transphobia