Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

42 reviews

valpuri's review against another edition

dark funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Blood, War, Violence, Sexism, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Classism

Minor: Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Child death

kartoffel_00's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative fast-paced

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

3.75

24th October 2023:

I would have liked to give this a 4 but the plot of this book towards the end was very, very lazy. 

The strong points were how it didn't shy away from the real and cruel history even at the end. The epilogue for one, was what saved the book for me but not enough to excuse how the middle and last part were written. 

Final Rating - 3.75/5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Murder, War, Slavery, Medical trauma, Sexism, and Emotional abuse

All the warnings happen to an moderate extent. They're not graphic enough to be triggering but still present in the book based on the history and setting.

madisophi's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

Most of the book is very slow with the real action happening in the last 4 or so chapters. If you can make it far enough tho, it’s a cute enough romance. The focus is very much on regency England with magic and fairies adding little to the overall world building. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse

katievallin's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted fast-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Ableism, Classism, Murder, Trafficking, and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse, Medical content, Sexism, War, and Body shaming

Minor: Blood and Death of parent

kathrynok's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Ableism

Minor: Death of parent

avie_j's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent and Violence

meshell's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

I enjoyed this pride and prejudice-esque regency style novel with some depth and social commentary beyond the fluff, but generally lighthearted and heartwarming.

It reminds me a bit of some of Gail Carriger's work, specifically the Soulless series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism

Moderate: Violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: War and Physical abuse

sydapel's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted fast-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

4.0

This had been on my list for AGES, but I realized I never really knew exactly what the plot was. This is a lovely crossover of faerie and regency, perfect for if you're interested in the ACOTAR/Bridgerton worlds but aren't quite sure about all the more intense parts of those series. It does lean a bit YA, but it's well paced and draws attention to poverty and unfair labor practices that aren't addressed in a lot of regency romances, which I really appreciated. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child death, and Classism

Minor: Physical abuse and War

kingcrookback's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted 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

This was lovely. It's relatively low-stakes compared to the books I typically read, but it still tapped into some important moral considerations. And as fairies were historically sometimes used to explain neurodivergence before it was recognized as such, I think Atwater's worldbuilding was pretty clever. I found both Dora and Elias compelling and endearing. My only real criticism is that the ending wrapped up a bit quickly for my tastes; I would have liked to have seen a bit more of their lives after the greater resolution of the plot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Ableism, and Classism

Moderate: War, Physical abuse, Blood, and Kidnapping

Minor: Violence

beccaand's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted 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? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Child abuse and Kidnapping

Minor: Child death and War