Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

The Awakening by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham

20 reviews

spicycronereads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Dual POV of fiery lost-heir twin Latinx FMCs. Seamless world building. Fun magic system and secondary and tertiary characters. Great banter. A bit of spice. Dark academia vibes. Check the full trigger warnings - lots of bullying, abandonment, etc. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Abandonment, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Professor / student attraction, drowning

roxyc's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Bullying, Sexual harassment, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual content, Hate crime, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Car accident

autumnwitch14's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-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

3.5

I enjoyed the world building very much. I wish it focused more on the fantasy elements outside of just supernatural races. I wouldn't say this book is much of a romance even though it describes itself as a bullymance. Maybe later in the series, but this first one in particular barely has any outside of a little flirting (in between all of the sexual assaults)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Genocide, Incest, Abandonment, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Slavery, and Infidelity

Mind control is prevalent in this book, meaning sometimes characters are forced to do things they don't want to do.

lovelymisanthrope's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

I picked this up because everyone seems to be raving about this series, and I was curious.
"The Awakening" follows twin sisters: Tory and Darcy. Tory and Darcy have been in the foster care system since they were orphaned as babies. Now, 18, and kicked out of the system, they are just trying to make enough money to cover rent. But all of those worries seem inconsequential when they find out they are actually the daughters of the Savage King, and they are the rightful descendants of the fae crown. Now they must go through Zodiac Academy to learn about their true home and fight for their birthright.
This book was very fine. There is a lot of violence, nonconsensual acts, and ALOT of bullying, which I had a pretty good idea about before I started reading this. I found the hazing that the other students put Tory and Darcy through to be really off-putting, and the fact that none of the teachers did anything to remotely stop it was disheartening.
This book is definitely HEAVILY influenced by other popular stories, which is fine, but it made the book feel unoriginal.
I do not know if I will continue in this series, but I can now appreciate why everyone seems so enamored with this series. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Stalking, Gaslighting, Torture, Violence, Physical abuse, Death, Bullying, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual content

karly_ackley's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Blood, and Death of parent

omega's review against another edition

Lost interest.
Found the bullying and whole “toxic situation to be dealt with” a bit too much and just tiring for being kinda exaggerated and never actually dealt with, losing any enjoyment of the characters getting over it.
And mostly got truly fed up of them calling the 4 main boys hot and pretty while they where ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIC PEOPLE that don’t deserve ANY positive attention, so I didn’t understand the need for so much unnecessary and inappropriate constant comments about how hot the pieces of shit were.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Racism, Bullying, Sexism, and Emotional abuse

ifoundcallie's review

dark 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? No

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Car accident, and Violence

Minor: Alcoholism, Torture, Stalking, Incest, and Vomit

kaireadsbooks's review against another edition

dark fast-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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Sexism, and Toxic friendship

cricci's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious relaxing fast-paced

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

2.0

Feels like a Harry Potter fanfic and Mary Sue, but still an enjoyable read, if that’s what you’re into. Has a rough start with the main characters (twins, as are the authors) are ripped out of the mortal world and thrust into Solaria where they are supposed to claim their inheritance and thrones as Queens.

Fairly predictable, but nonetheless enjoyable for the sheer relaxing nature of the novel. Even though the typographical errors (an entire paragraph was duplicated and > replaced apostrophes on a few instances — perhaps due to self-publishing?) and rushed plot detracted from the novel, I couldn’t stop reading, which is why I gave the book a second star.

Since there is some promise, hopefully the future books in the series show the authors taking more time with their craft rather than rushing to get the word count.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Torture, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Cursing

lemonysnicket's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I'm trying to give this a fair review but I hated it.

• It's certainly dark but too dark for my taste.
• Most of the actions are bordering on r*pe if not full on r*pe
• Felt defeating as hell to read. Since this is a first person pov, by the time I was halfway through the book my self confidence was nonexistent. The first book seems to be all about the girls getting their ass handed to them. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Stalking

Not for the fainthearted.