Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

5 reviews

riverofhorton's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

I went into this book with the assumption that it is at least somewhat accurate to the myths, and while there are elements that are, this is very much a Christianised Loki-Bad-Odin-Good portrayal of those myths.

Taken in isolation, it is as well written and mildly comical as Gaiman's other works, but within the context of it being a retelling of the Norse myths, it just missed the mark on so many points for me.

As example:

the legions of Hel are described as being "the evil dead", which to my knowledge is not only a Christian concept, but also unjust. Those dead are simply people that didn't die in battle, so while there will be "evil" among them, they're not intrinsically so. Such phrasing also implies that Odin's warriors are equivalent to the angels of Christianity, something made ironic when you realise it's possible for "evil" people to die in battle.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Torture, Alcohol, Suicide, Violence, Child death, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Bullying, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Murder, Genocide, Grief, Abandonment, War, Toxic friendship, Slavery, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, Gore, Death, Death of parent, Animal death, and Blood

nightmaresandfairytales's review

adventurous challenging funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

I bought this book because it was recommended somewhere as a good introduction if you want to learn more about Norse mythology because it is simpler to read than an actual Edda. In my own point of view, I would not recommend it to anyone not having a clue about Norse mythology though. I was familiar with the topic and quickly found my way into the stories about the gods, giants and others. Some basic knowledge is definitely helpful to know what is happening, who is involved and where it is happening.

But if you bring a solid base, this book is great entertainment. Gaiman managed to break down the stories about the Norse gods into simple, short tales that are entertaining and even make a round story. The characteristics of the gods and other creatures come out very well and I often had a good laugh. Gaiman's book stresses why Thor in particular is such a well-liked figure in Norse mythology.

I can't judge if the stories are adequate - I've never read the originals. But some of the tales sounded familiar, although I didn't know many details. I really enjoyed this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic friendship, and Torture

Minor: Grief and Murder

kaaaaaaaa's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Genocide, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Infidelity, Death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, War, Grief, Excrement, Child death, Animal death, Alcohol, Ableism, and Confinement

yrlaevelyn's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny informative mysterious reflective tense

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Death of parent, Animal death, Murder, and Torture

Moderate: Kidnapping, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Grief, Slavery, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Pregnancy, and Sexual violence

Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Fatphobia, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Suicide

atlanticgiantpumpkin's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, Violence, and War

Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abandonment, Gore, Incest, Sexism, Sexual content, and Suicide

There’s also bestiality.