Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

16 reviews

valentine183's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, and Classism

dmteralie's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

This book is really odd but kept me reading. It’s weirdly mundane for a fantasy book. Almost slice of life. I hated most of the characters except the main character. Not in that they were poorly written way but in that they are bad people way. It’s really more about world building than the characters themselves. I finished the book with more questions than answers and honestly excited to read the next one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Murder, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Murder, and Toxic friendship

marileen's review

fast-paced

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

0.25

Don't read this book. Waste of your time. Worst book I have ever read. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

torturedreadersdept's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, Death of parent, and Classism

bookchatwithbeth's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Very disappointed in this. So misogynistic/patriarchal, all the characters are horrid and deceptive and treat Ophelia terribly. No world building so nothing makes sense. Overall I’m just confused, bored, and put off. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting

jenny_librarian's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

Je ne sais pas trop quoi penser de ce livre. Le côté politique est intéressant, mais comme absolument aucun personnage n’est attachant, ça m’a empêché de ressentir quelque empathie que ce soit pour eux.

J’ai l’impression qu’Ophélie est demi-romantique, et Thorn présente plusieurs traits autiste. Est-ce voulu? Je n’en sais rien, mais c’est ce qui m’a semblé le plus captivant dans ma lecture.
Malheureusement, tous les personnages sont froids et la plupart sont dénués de caractérisation outre des défauts très superficiels qui deviennent leur entière personnalité.

Je ne sais pas non plus si le sous-entendu est intentionnel, mais les “provinciaux” semblent avoir un accent québécois et ça me rend mal à l’aise. Tout comme les références à la religion animiste, qui est fondamentalement liés à l’histoire coloniale et aux peuples africains et autochtones — pour la plupart décimés par les colonies françaises… M’enfin, c’est peut-être seulement mon interprétation de la chose.

Je ne sais pas encore si je vais lire la suite. Ce sont de gros livres avec peu d’action qui demandent beaucoup de travail cérébral pour peu de résultats.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

ransomoney's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

There are several production/editing issues with the audio book. Narrator repeating lines, messing up words, and awkward pauses and mouth noises. 

This book wasn’t really for me. almost dnf about half way through. The characters are all very cruel to each other, which makes sense within the setting but I didn’t enjoy reading. 

Also overuse of the word “lugubrious”

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Trafficking, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

midnightgarden's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I wish I could say I liked this book more. It's labeled as a romance but it is decidedly not. There's exactly 0% romance going on in this story. There's a lot of marital intrigue though! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexism, and Violence

Minor: Child death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Murder, and Gaslighting

itsreirei's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I am soooo conflicted. I cannot in good conscience give this book a better rating...I REALLY wanted to like it but uhh...my brain was melting while reading it. 

This is an extremely slow start to the series, lots of information yet there's somehow even more things left unsaid and unclear. The characters are all two-faced and full of secrets, refuse to communicate - which wouldn't necessarily be a problem but it was just a lot, since it's not what I expected at all. 

This is a very heavy book to read (tbh, could've been a good 100+ pages shorter), NOT a fun ride, one has to put time and brain power into consuming it. 

I'll have to wait with continuing the sequels but also I am admittedly very intrigued to know what the fuck is happening because BOY was there a lot in here...

PS.: I ain't joking with the CWs, I might even have left out some, bruh

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

heoleen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape