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Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'
STONE BLIND - Der Blick der Medusa: Roman by Natalie Haynes
194 reviews
hannahhamburger's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
This is a fab book and it's simple but also so well researched and creative. Will sit with me for a while I think! Plus really made me giggle at parts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
turrean's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The gods are capricious and fate is cruel and I need a drink.
I applaud the tiniest bit of agency Medusa had in this retelling of her story.
I applaud the tiniest bit of agency Medusa had in this retelling of her story.
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Grief, and Stalking
secre's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
If Stone Blind had been described as a tale of the ancient Greek Gods and how Perseus ended up on a quest to fetch Medusa's head, maybe it would have been a four star read. Maybe. But it wasn't. It was described as Medusa's story, so I was anticipating something like Circe by Madeline Miller, a novel that told Medusa's story through her own eyes and focused on the portrayal of her. Or like A Thousand Ships by this same author, a novel that directly focused on the unheard female voices of the Trojan war and brought them to life. And oh boy, was I disappointed.
I'd say about 25% of this novel actually has Medusa as a semi-main character and even then, there's a lot of attention on her sisters. The rest of the novel is made up of petty Godly squabbles and fights and Perseus's quest across the land to bring back the head of a Gorgon. It... wasn't what I signed up for. It also frankly didn't interest me that much. I was genuinely interested in the childhood and life of Medusa, I was kind of interested in some of the God side plots although they really needed to be minimised... I just did not care about Perseus. Come on. The story of the boy who beheads the sleeping monster was not the important one here, particularly when he's shallow, selfish and cruel to boot.
What I wanted and what I got here were two very different things. Medusa was essentially relegated to a bit player in her own damn story and that's a crying shame, particularly when I know how well the author can portray the unsung voices. This could have been excellent, it should have been excellent; Haynes certainly has the writing talent and spark to pull it off. But instead of allowing Medusa to stand on the stage alone, she is overshadowed by Gods and men and petty arguments. And I really, really struggled to engage with it because of that.
Don't get me wrong. I'll read the author again. I adored A Thousand Ships. But this... this was a disappointment and it was nowhere near interesting enough to hold my attention.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my free review copy of this title.
I'd say about 25% of this novel actually has Medusa as a semi-main character and even then, there's a lot of attention on her sisters. The rest of the novel is made up of petty Godly squabbles and fights and Perseus's quest across the land to bring back the head of a Gorgon. It... wasn't what I signed up for. It also frankly didn't interest me that much. I was genuinely interested in the childhood and life of Medusa, I was kind of interested in some of the God side plots although they really needed to be minimised... I just did not care about Perseus. Come on. The story of the boy who beheads the sleeping monster was not the important one here, particularly when he's shallow, selfish and cruel to boot.
What I wanted and what I got here were two very different things. Medusa was essentially relegated to a bit player in her own damn story and that's a crying shame, particularly when I know how well the author can portray the unsung voices. This could have been excellent, it should have been excellent; Haynes certainly has the writing talent and spark to pull it off. But instead of allowing Medusa to stand on the stage alone, she is overshadowed by Gods and men and petty arguments. And I really, really struggled to engage with it because of that.
Don't get me wrong. I'll read the author again. I adored A Thousand Ships. But this... this was a disappointment and it was nowhere near interesting enough to hold my attention.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my free review copy of this title.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder
meganhart92's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual assault
midnightrain_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, Rape, and Infidelity
carmentxx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
man, poor medusa. what did she do other than exist? girl couldn’t catch a break and then her head was buried in the ocean of the guy who SA’ed her. boo.
the characters were very 2D and it reads like a YA novel, which is a shame because there is so much depth that could be explored in the story. i think that haynes just tries to do too much in too little; there are too many characters, too many plots. so the characters suffer in their depiction as haynes tries to keep the story going. the book left me wanting for a tale that retold the story in a more complex way.
also, why does the narrator keep assuming i’m on perseus’ side? that really pissed me off.
the characters were very 2D and it reads like a YA novel, which is a shame because there is so much depth that could be explored in the story. i think that haynes just tries to do too much in too little; there are too many characters, too many plots. so the characters suffer in their depiction as haynes tries to keep the story going. the book left me wanting for a tale that retold the story in a more complex way.
also, why does the narrator keep assuming i’m on perseus’ side? that really pissed me off.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
nak34's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Murder, Sexual harassment, Torture, Death, and Sexual assault
Moderate: War, Grief, Sexism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death
hanschub's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Rape
Minor: Abandonment
annemarielvira's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I think it is interesting how the book addresses the reader, and I loved the Medusa parts of the book, it shines a different light on the mythology than the usual retellings. The parts beside Medusa felt gooey and it was hard for me the stay with the story, it is important background for the story but as the characters are unrelatable it is not as catching as the Medusa parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual harassment