Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

52 reviews

sunflower7skull's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

this book was so well written. usually i don't like historical dramas bit this ripped my heart out (burned it) and put it back in again. simply beautiful

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

readingqueerly'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

So this came out quite some years ago now and I remember it being a hype then. It's been on my shelf for so long and I was afraid it might have aged dubiously but no this was actually so much fun!!
I mean it checks all the boxes for me: a queer historical romance with disability and POC rep that has actual good plot, friends to lovers and a badass female character (who is the MC in the sequel which I will DEFINITELY be buying). 
The writing was quite compelling, a relief as one of the main reasons I put off reading this for so long is the fact that it's 500 pages long. But I enjoyed it from start to finish. There were enough propelling windings in the plot to keep it interesting and the wit and banter from the characters kept it light and breezy. 
Just a good time all the way through with some action and heart. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

csolomon101's review against another edition

adventurous funny relaxing 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Racism

andyourstruly's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

GGtVaV is a very indulgent queer adventure story.  Though the main cast all struggle with their own hardships, external and internal, the reader always knows they'll overcome to get their happy ending, and in that way, despite themes of racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and physical/emotional abuse, it feels very light.

The author studied history in university, so a lot of the historical details of events and cultural norms are more accurate than your average YA novel, but there are still glaring blind spots, like the author not being well-versed in clothing culture or that almost every educated person would have been fluent in French in the early 1700s, particularly if they had a French parent.

My biggest takeaway with it was that, as fantastical as so many elements were, it seems strange that the author didn't just ... write an adventure where people happened to be queer or black or women.  It felt like a strange decision to hand-wave away a lot of actual problems they may have encountered but to really spend a lot of time projecting modern-day feminism onto a character from the era and bringing up homophobia and racism that wasn't even always period-accurate.  Fun book, may read the sequels, not so invested that I'm prioritizing it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

deetabz's review

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Biphobia, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

aliveironically's review

adventurous emotional funny 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse

Minor: Self harm

elspethmigliore's review

adventurous emotional sad 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

4.0

i really enjoyed this! i’ve read this book around 5 times now because it’s so unique and interesting, and it never fails to impress me. like i was actually obsessed with this book 4 years ago. i will say that the most recent time i’ve read it, i found it to be very difficult to get through and kind of boring, but i think that’s because i know the story so well. 

all of the characters are hilarious and unique and i very much appreciate monty’s growth. i’m excited to finally read the rest of their stories. 

definitely reread material ✅

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse and Slavery

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Abandonment

quinniepoepie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Racism

littlesnowcloud's review

adventurous emotional reflective sad 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

Significantly heavier in topic than the summary blurb suggests, with a bit more magic involved than expected. A good read with good characters. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Infidelity

kaz_brekker1's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful tense fast-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: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Biphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, and Vomit