Reviews tagging 'Abortion'

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

139 reviews

moderndaymama's review against another edition

adventurous challenging inspiring fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, Abortion, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual harassment, and Torture

felofhe's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Ableism, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Death, Murder, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Sexism, Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Racism, and Abandonment

nic3's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, and Cursing

Minor: Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Body horror, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Racism, Lesbophobia, and Abortion

gardens_and_dragons's review

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

I very much enjoyed this fairytale esque story about three sisters who are witches, and seek to bring about magic back into the world, around the same time as the women’s suffrage  movement. This is not the same 1800s that we know, which is are a real tangible thing that is a history long since blotted out of the world. it’s also a world that relies heavily on mothers and daughters, and passing down of children’s rhymes, and the important women’s work to carry spells into new generations. 

It does me a little bit more than I would like. I think that there is a good chunk of the book, devoted to the “all is lost” section of a heroes journey before they find the means to get back at the evil George Hill. 

If I read it as a fairytale or fable, like its inspiration, it is forgivable in the sense that the villain is fairly two dimensional , not quite as realized as I would hope but better than I had feared. 

Overall, I think what made me enjoy this the most was the pros and descriptions in the book. I think that what Alex Harrow has done here in terms of the write (metaphors and similes and weaving together history and fable) is really magical in its own right. 

I also enjoy how much the author in her weave in people historically  left out of the women’s movement. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny

Moderate: Racism and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Abortion and Transphobia

maureenlessreen's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Death, and Grief

Minor: Child abuse, Abortion, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Death of parent

kylaeduff's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Torture, Religious bigotry, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, and Sexism

Minor: Transphobia and Vomit

ouroboros_00's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

Slow in the beginning with a lot of unnecessary details and build-up but sped up in the last 2/3 and was more compelling. Lots of cool or interesting seeds planted in this story that just didn't get fully fleshed out. The central conflict was pretty good and I rooted for the sisters but I never connected with them. The prose is often lyrical and poignant and beautiful to read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Pregnancy

Minor: Abortion and Torture

kennim's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

Pros:

• Gorgeous writing
• The sisters' relationship and their reconciliation and growth
• The magic system
• The setting
• The villain
• The ending
• Bella was my favorite but I loved all the sisters
• The examination of different kinds of feminism and forms of protest and the consequences of them
• Everything was perfect this was my perfect book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Abortion, Outing, Police brutality, Misogyny, and Death

Moderate: Homophobia

kkopacetic's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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? No

5.0

This book was so well done. I couldn't put it down. It's been a long time since I've had something so truly engrossing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Abortion, Alcoholism, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Pregnancy

jbird_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Finally read this! It's been on my tbr for years. I like the characters and the writing, as well as the weaving in of historical accuracies. <Spoiler> the "square shirtwaist factory" instead of the triangle shirtwaist factory was really funny to me. I think the main thing I didn't like was how long this was. The pacing could have been improved, and at points it seemed like the author wanted to tackle a lot of subjects but ran out of time in the story to weave it all together. Overall, though, it was good, and I'm glad I read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Death, Child abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Abortion, Racism, and Blood

Minor: Transphobia