Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

82 reviews

yilliun's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

Hargrave creates such a wonderfully complex world and pulls you into the life of living in 17th century Vardø. To each of the main women, there is such a delicate intimacy to them. They want such human things, to be loved, to know love, to feel truly in charge of their own destinies, and yet the men around them suffocate them. The story felt both tender and harsh and I was entranced all the way through.

May the men who burned these innocent people burn as they once burned the innocent.

ALSO I noticed that 40 men died and there were 40 chapters in the book. The number 40 is so biblically significant so I wonder how intentional that detail was.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, and Torture

viksbooksandlifestyle's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

So tbh I picked this book up in the shop because of how pretty it was not on the basis of knowing what the book was about 😬😱
It was a little slow getting into it but once I was I quote enjoyed it. It was very interesting, a little haunting and dark at times. I found the ending a little disappointing and rushed. But overall a good book 👍

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

shadfield34's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Miscarriage, Torture, and Violence

emeraldjulep's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

A beautiful, but bleak cautionary tale for our time. This island of women and what happens with, and to, them will stick with me for a long time. The story is artfully told on the Audible version. The narrator has a Scandinavian accent as well which I felt added an authentic atmosphere to the story (and pronounced all the names I would have have never gotten right). I would recommend reading The Mercies in any format.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Torture

typedtruths's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Torture, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Minor: Animal death, Gore, and Pregnancy

➸ Trigger warnings for period-typical misogyny, colonialism, anti-indigenous racism, forced marriage, religious bigotry, persecution for witchcraft (theme) including the on-page depiction of witch trials and burning women at the stake, graphic martial rape and sexual assault, infidelity (the protagonist is in a forced marriage though), pregnancy and pregnancy from rape discussed, childbirth, miscarriage, alcohol consumption, blood and gore depiction including dead bodies, death of a friend (on-page), death of a father, husband and brother mentioned, mass death by boating accident, murder (on-page), torture (implied), imprisonment mentioned, near-drowning incident, and animal death.

lillyrose97's review against another edition

emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

alithomas's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Torture

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit

becca9849's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Miscarriage

katerina_k_lw's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

3.75

Felt like traveling to a long lost in time, far away, strange and hostile land, yet so close because of what it means to be a woman in a world that isn't ours. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, and Vomit

Minor: Animal cruelty and Suicidal thoughts

Enlightening about the suffering that civilised Europeans inflicted on the Sàmi people (indigenous people of North Norway).

ntlbwrs's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism and Torture

Minor: Lesbophobia