Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Musím tě zradit by Ruta Sepetys

39 reviews

emerald_reader's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Confinement, Death, Blood, Gaslighting, and Deportation

bringmybooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense 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

5.0

One more finished for my #12BooksRecommendedBy12Friends challenge and the further we get into the year the more amazed I am that I haven’t already read some of these books - especially this one.

✨ 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 ✨ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷

This was a stunningly researched and unbearably heartbreaking book based on the grim reality of decades of oppression felt by the Romanian people during the latter half of the 20th century, and while it was hard to read, it also felt really necessary.

I was familiar with a bit of Romanian history prior to reading this book, but after reading this I realized just how much I didn’t know. I have such an appreciation for well researched historical fiction novels because they not only give me an idea of what was happening throughout the time periods & locales they are written in, but also the urge to do research on my own to learn and understand more (and absolutely ALL of Ruta Sepetys' books have done just this).

This book reminded me of Salt to the Sea in that it had short chapters, some choppy (on purpose) sentence structure, and once you were invested (happened at about 50pgs for me), you’re not going to put it down until you finish. (Unlike Salt to the Sea, this book only had one POV.)

100% recommended by me and now maybe I should read Fountains of Silence??? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

machenn's review against another edition

emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

ana_maria5's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Excrement, Police brutality, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

lyzz's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense 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

5.0

This is my second Ruta Sepetys' book after reading Salt to the Sea several years ago. I loved this one just as much as Salt to the Sea.  

This book is set on the cusp of the Romanian Revolution in 1989.  Starting this book, I knew next to nothing about Romania aside from them having great gymnasts.  The book focuses on a teenager named Cristian who is recruited to be part of the spy network run by the Romanian government.  

This is a fantastic book.  It was informative, fast-paced and thoughtful. I learned so much about the country of Romania in this book. It makes me want to learn more about their history and their culture. This was a different type of historical fiction for me - historical thriller. I *loved* the pacing of this book. There are short chapters and the book clips along. Sometimes books that focus on pacing are short on character development - but I thought the author did a thoughtful amount of development of the main character and his family members.  

Overall, I would highly recommend this book. This would be a perfect book for someone trying out historical fiction or a seasoned reader.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, and War

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

This focuses on state sponsored blackmail by recruiting a teenager to report on his family and friends. This leads to a state of paranoia throughout the book. There is state sponsored violence by depriving the citizen's of food, heat and medical care. Cristian's grandfather is tortured to death and found in their apartment. Towards the end of the book, there is a revolution and there is graphic scenes of death, torture, murder, police brutality. There are also references to Cristian's sister being involved in state sponsored prostitution/sexual assault.

barbarella85's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Death and Blood

haley49's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-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

5.0

This was a good account of a teenager’s view of Soviet-era Romania. I didn’t know much about the time period and it was surreal learning what they went through. I like how the author clearly aims for authenticity and has a really thoughtful note at the end. It reminded me of why I love historical fiction and of it’s capacity to bring future change. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Gun violence, Torture, Murder, Gaslighting, and War

Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This is a fascinating story of Romania in the late 1980s under the dictatorship of Ceausescu.  Under Ceausescu's system, many people became informers.  It was a country where no one could be trusted, including your friends and family.  We've heard about the orphanages, but this young adult story tells more about what happened to the rest of the people living there.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail

katrinaburch's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-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? No

4.75

More like 4.9 But while I did give it that, I understand why the author did it. I really enjoyed this so much. I was young when the revolution happened and part of my family is from Romania. So getting a historical fiction work about the revolution was great. I enjoyed Fountains of Silence more but this is an excellent book.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

nickoliver's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring tense fast-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Physical abuse and Torture