Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Betrayals by Bridget Collins

6 reviews

rowanrelph's review against another edition

challenging hopeful mysterious tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Bullying, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, and Death

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, Suicide, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Classism, Death of parent, Cursing, Sexual content, Violence, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Murder

litliz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Grief, Bullying, Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Infidelity, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Vomit, Alcohol, and Classism

theirgracegrace's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-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

2.75

What I liked about the book: the richness of the language and the complicated system of roles and reversals that kept me reading. What I disliked: literally everything else. The attempt at Holocaust imagery is absurd, the love story completely overshadows the setting and the threats, and the characters are completely forgettable and ordinary. The author is also a TERF and you can see it in the way that the final reveal is played out. Honestly want my money back.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Genocide, Grief, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Abandonment, Child abuse, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicide

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gaslighting, and Pregnancy

Minor: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Police brutality

While the book itself does not handle transphobia and related topics, a particular reveal late in the book comes across as transphobic on the part of the author.

kindra_demi's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

1.75

Honestly, if it weren't for my curiousity in what the Grand Jeu was and how to play it, I would have DNF'ed this book. The twist/surprise only really caught me because I had also spent the 300+ pages before it trying to piece together the game. And all of that was to ultimately never get a complete answer.

I do appreciate a slow paced book, but there are points where it is so slow that I put it down and didn't pick it up for a couple weeks. There are 4 different pov:
- The Rat: her point of view doesn't really matter until the end of the book though you did get to see her grow with it starting in her pov and ending in it.
-Léo (in the past. His journal from when he attended school): probably the pov where you see the most growth. It was typically the only pov I looked forward to because it actually built the story.
-Léo (present day): a man who is so self absorbed he can't see 2 inches past his nose

to realize he is being set up in a trap. I get there was a tragedy where it could have stopped his growth at the end of his journal and into present day him, but that being said, seeing him grow in the journal only to be so ignorant in present day was frustrating. He held records. Played this complex game that was worthy of an elite school (the one he attended). With all of this, I would hope that he would be smart enough to realize that him being forced into quitting his job and return to his old school to "rekindle his love of the Grand Jeu" isn't just that...

-Magister Ludi: One of the heads of the school Léo attended/was forced to return to. And don't forget that SHE must do it alone because SHE is a WOMAN and SHE is going to be the future of the Grand Jeu because women aren't allowed to play but SHE worked for it. Did I mention that the Magister Ludi is a woman? This pov gave me "written by a man" energy. It felt like there wasn't an understanding of being a woman actually, but every time this pov came up, it was overly emphasized.

I don't know if it should be called miscommunication, but that is about the closest thing to describe this whole background of the problem in the book. One character was purposely left in the dark by another. Another character took their understanding of Léo's journal and ran with it in a total opposite direction than the original meaning. It's a journal but in this character's mind, they could have been purposely misleading (like the purpose of a journal is for other people to read).

Before I got to the twist, I was weirded out by the fact Léo went from having feeling for Carfax to having feelings for Claire. After it is revealed she is Carfax, it makes sense, but it just wasn't something that sat right with me.

I know Bridget Collins has another book, and I've seen good reviews for it, but I don't have hopes for it and won't be picking it up any time soon after this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Murder, Religious bigotry, Grief, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, Mental illness, and Alcohol

Minor: Sexual content

katherinehamilton's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

lilacsophie's review against another edition

emotional mysterious

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, Vomit, and Bullying

Moderate: Death, Grief, Sexual content, Suicide, Religious bigotry, and Police brutality

Minor: Death of parent