Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

57 reviews

tundratomes's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Misogyny, Incest, Gore, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

meltingpages's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

2.0

I really enjoyed The Wolf and the Woodsman which I read in July 2021. However, Juniper and Thorn just didn’t work as well for me. I struggled to read this one, and in fact I put it down for months until I decided that I really needed to finish my ARC to finally write a review.

This is a very slow-moving book and there really isn’t a lot of plot, mainly just a lot of abuse and the main character feeling unworthy. The writing was also way more stylistic in this than in the first book, to the point where half the time I had no idea if magic was real or just a metaphor. In fact, there was quite a bit of this that was just metaphor.

I also really did not connect with the characters, and that’s something that I need in my books in order to enjoy them. They don’t necessarily need to be likable, but I do like to understand their thoughts, feelings, and motivation.

With this book being set in the same world as The Wolf and the Woodsman, there is no explanation to the social structure within this book so it’s almost a requirement to read her other book in order to fully understand the world this is set in. Throw in the fact that it’s been over a year since I read The Wolf and the Woodsman and I don’t remember much about this world. With this being a standalone set in the same world, there should’ve been more world building present in this book.

There is also a mystery of a monster killing people in the town, but there is nothing really going on with that until the very end and it was just kind of thrown in as a semblance of a plot. If someone were to ask me what exactly this book is about, I don’t even know if I would be able to describe it other than trauma and a little bit of a slapped together mystery. The first line of the synopsis also mentions the curse, and that really was just an excuse for the father to abuse all three of his daughters. I also found myself questioning if the curse was real or if the father just used it specifically to abuse his daughters.

I know from browsing through Goodreads that the author took her experiences as an abuse survivor as inspiration, I just don’t think that the execution was the best and I just couldn’t get on board with this because it was so hard for me to follow along with. because of the overly flowery writing. This entire book is trauma after trauma and can be VERY triggering so if you are going to read this, keep that in mind. Do I feel terrible that the author went through abuse? Absolutely, but that doesn’t mean I think this was a good book just because of that.

As a warning, all the relationships in this book are toxic, a lot of scenes are pretty graphic. There are graphic sex scenes, killing and dismembering of a creature (animal death), plenty of murder, cannibalism, gore and body horror, child sexual abuse and incest, antisemitism, tons of gaslighting and abuse by family members, self-harm and suicidal thoughts, bulimia with some graphic descriptions, pedophilia, sex trafficking, and also a scene including bestiality. These trigger warnings were not present in the copy that I read, and I believe a few of these were missing from the comments on Goodreads that I think would be helpful.

This just really was not a book for me and unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy reading it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Antisemitism, Body horror, Cannibalism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Rape, Vomit, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Animal cruelty, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gore, Death, Child abuse, Body shaming, and Gaslighting

Minor: Death of parent

macadoo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal death, Vomit, Child abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Body horror, Cannibalism, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Antisemitism, Gaslighting, and Xenophobia

Minor: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Panic attacks/disorders

slvt4b00ks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This story follows Marlinchen, one of three daughters of the greatest wizard in Obylan, as she forges her own path despite living under an abusive father and alongside wicked sisters. Marlinchen soon finds herself driven to disobey her fathers orders to not leave the house after one night at the ballet in Obylan where she meets the heartbreakingly beautiful and tortured Sevastyian. As Marlinchen is sneaking out and living her best life, there is a monster stalking the streets of Obylan stealing the hearts and livers of men. 

This has been my all time favorite book I have read. Period. Reid is a master of weirdly beautiful and unique metaphors and other literary devices. I had no idea people could write and create such beautiful captivating atmospheres that are equally as horrifying and dark.

I couldn’t name all of the trigger warnings that this needs to be filed under. There were parts of this that were very difficult to read. Expect rape, abuse, alcoholism, cannibalism, self mutilation, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, so on and so forth.

That being said I think the author touched on every single one of those sensitive subjects with brutal honesty and also something like grace. 

For a majority of the book I found the story very character driven. Toward the end it picked up but it was so worth it. Highly recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Death, Torture, Violence, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Vomit

starrysteph's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Juniper & Thorn explores how trauma shapes us, how we desperately look for meaning & purpose in dark circumstances, and how you live with your past.

Specific content warnings at the end of this review: but this book is about trauma. 

We follow Marlinchen, a fairytale-obsessed plain-faced third daughter. Her mother is gone and her wizard father is cursed to never feel satisfaction; he is controlling and cruel to his girls. Marlinchen and her sisters are witches; they treat clients with their various skills (though their father spends the rubles and is xenophobic - so VERY particular about the clientiele) and they are not permitted to leave their home.

One night, the three girls sneak out to see a ballet show: and Marlinchen falls head over heels for the lead dancer, Sevas. She now must balance her first secret with her deep desire and the trauma of her past. And to add to the stakes - there’s a monster on the loose, terrorizing the city.

There’s brilliance here - Reid skillfully integrates fairytale tropes with darkness and horror. There’s also deep vulnerability - Marlinchen is living with trauma and has shrunken into herself; there’s a major theme of dehumanization.

The pacing ebbed and flowed; there were moments I couldn’t put the book down but also scenes that were far too slow for my taste. I think a large issue here was some overdone repetition - like I get it, the rule of threes is important, the sisters are beautiful and Marlinchen is plain, Marlinchen is blushing 99% of the time. Some of it boiled down to intrusive thoughts and folkloric obsessiveness tied into Marlinchen’s trauma; that made sense to me. But others felt like Reid was shouting at the reader. Remember this?? Don’t forget this foreshadowing!! Let me hold your hand, reader!! It felt like an editing issue, alongside some slightly-cringey & overdone analogies. 

I felt like we got to know Marlinchen quite well; the supporting characters were not always so fleshed out. Her sisters, for example, felt quite limited. And for a book that takes place largely in one location, the world-building was a bit vague & confusing. I’ve read The Wolf & the Woodsman and felt that gave me a significant leg-up in understanding some of the hierarchies. 

Finally, I didn’t particularly enjoy the romance. For me, it felt very insta-lovey and lacked the depth and lyricality and complexity that Reid gave to the rest of the storyline. I wasn’t ever truly rooting for them as a pair.

I felt like Reid is continuing to strengthen their voice and explore the themes she most wants to write about. This writing feels vulnerable and powerful. There’s a lot I admired about this storytelling. I’m looking forward to reading whatever she puts out next.

CW: blood, body horror, death, murder, emotional abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse (child), cannibalism, antisemitism, xenophobia, gaslighting, racism, eating disorder, vomiting, self harm, suicidal thoughts, animal death, animal cruelty, incest, explicit sexual content

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Incest, Rape, Violence, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Murder, Racism, Self harm, Animal death, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

emmague89's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Alcohol, Confinement, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, and Vomit

alicia_ann_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I thought the narrator of this story did an excellent job, from the sounds of other reviews I think I enjoyed the story more because I did the audiobook rather than physical copy.

I was also unfamiliar with The Juniper Tree story and I actually got more of the 12 Dancing Princesses with a bit of Sweeney Todd (although having now read a synopsis of The Juniper Tree I think I can now see how that would replace the demon Barber) 

Anyways, I went into this book having no idea it was going to be as dark as it was and many parts of it made me uncomfortable, but that kind of added to the story for me. 

I would have appreciated trigger warnings at the beginning of the audio, or anywhere on the Scribd app where I got mine from, because while I was not triggered there is so much in this book many many people will be.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

theeloreads's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

4.5

First, I’ll start by saying that I struggle to explain why I like books; it’s easier to point to things I didn’t like. As it is, I’ve struggled to gather my thoughts on why I enjoyed this book so much. It might be the vivid and atmospheric writing or the stories woven in throughout that tie into the themes of the main plot. Either way, Juniper & Thorn is a beautiful yet gruesome story that I will keep returning to.

Juniper & Thorn is the gothic retelling of my dreams. The prose is lovely, and before the story even begins, it’s what draws you in.

It’s dark and atmospheric but hard to read at times.

Marlinchen is an isolated girl, confined to her house with only her father and two sisters. Marlinchen receives abuse from everyone, which has messed with how she acts and thinks of herself.

Juniper & Thorn follows Marlinchen and Sevas as they try to escape from abuse and manipulation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Self harm, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Antisemitism, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Body horror, Eating disorder, Animal death, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Cannibalism, and Vomit

traeumenvonbuechern's review against another edition

challenging dark

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Body horror, and Animal death

Moderate: Antisemitism, Eating disorder, and Vomit

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Self harm

apseabolt's review against another edition

This is supposed to be a gothic retelling of a very graphic fairy tale and it definitely is that. It’s pretty graphic and dark about everything. Think Grimm Brothers. The author has a full list of triggers on her goodreads. I personally did not like the main character and I generally don’t vibe well with dark horror books. I loved her debut novel, and I think her writing and world building are amazing, I just didn’t particularly vibe with this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Vomit, Gore, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Body horror, Antisemitism, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Animal death, Xenophobia, and Self harm