Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda

57 reviews

antimony's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

I struggled a lot with the writing style at points. just like Our Share of Night, it would regularly go on multi-page stretches with no paragraph breaks, leading me to wonder if perhaps this is a perfectly normal literary convention in south america or at least for writers of literary horror there .... but this was really good once I got into it. I especially loved the chapter which was annelise's essay about fear/white horror/cosmic horror..that was really interesting. and I was really intrigued by what was going on with the girls at their meetings in the building and I also really liked the epistolary format. the ending felt so gaping wide open which I wasn't as much of a fan of but ah well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Death of parent, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Homophobia

slawgreensss's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship

Moderate: Mental illness, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Child death and Sexual assault

oliviapincin's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Classism, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Child death, and Sexual harassment

fernandaptln's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Gore, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Torture, Body horror, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Incest, and Stalking

Minor: Animal death

mondovertigo's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Confinement, Child death, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Blood, Animal death, Stalking, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Lesbophobia

Minor: Gun violence and Adult/minor relationship

kmacdo23's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This novel is a revelation, a scream trapped in the throat of a teenage girl, a rosary made of strangers' teeth. One that I would pray upon, with reverence. This is a lesson I would sit through again. This is a volcano errupting and there's nowhere you can go to escape. I was so unsettled. I was held so tenderly by this story.

Welcome to The White Age. Explore the horrors of teenage girlhood. The horrors of womanhood. This novel twists the relief of being recognized as the fucked up girl that you are with the religions of desire and violence. 

What would you do for someone you love as the other half of yourself,  the completion of you? Everything? Everything, and all the brutality that implies. 

What is a scary story, a monster, a fear, but something kept alive by the same unwitting people that fall victim to its effect. Come see what you could keep alive. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, Blood, Mental illness, Body horror, Child death, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship

alarara94's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Mental illness, Dementia, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Body horror, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Rape and Animal death

natashasacks's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and Vomit

elisascrive's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Found myself gnashing at the end without even realising. It always keeps you on the edge. Not a five-star read just because I thought the ending would be much more devastating. Still, the rest of the book is a masterpiece of language and flow. 

It is not an easy read though, very explicit with toxic relationships all over. Motherhood and "sisterhood" are extremely relevant to the whole story and plot, with graphic depictions scattered throughout the novel.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Body horror, Child abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Death

Minor: Alcohol

meika_one's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This book is very atmospheric and literary.  It explores the emotional substrate of how people process fear and terror.  There aren't any supernatural elements, so it read as psychological thriller to me.  Similar to Apt Pupil, but more cosmic.  It skates on the blade edge of innocence.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Torture, Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship