Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

14 reviews

calicat42's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Confinement, Cursing, Torture, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Self harm, and Suicide

abicaro17's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This may be the best book i've ever read. I laughed, I cried, I felt seen. This book is what it's like to be a woman. Anything you do is demonized but when a man does it he's praised. Alix E. Harrow writes about how "behind every witch is a woman wrong." (445) and creates beautifully complex characters like Agnes that show a true beauty and a true darkness in femininity. Juniper is a feral, selfish, and damaged girl but

her final act is to do something so selfless it saves all future witches. She bears the burden so that the future of her niece and all other mothers and daughters won't have to.

I could spend hours describing my love and adoration for this book. The emotional and storied complexity for even minor characters like Jennie and Mr. Blackwell are so outstanding and enriching. I think Harrow needs all the awards and I'm devastated i'll never be able to read this book for the first time again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Classism, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Transphobia, Racism, Police brutality, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Gore, Gaslighting, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Torture, Suicide, Misogyny, and Homophobia

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

spineofthesaurus's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-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: Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Torture, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Self harm, Stalking, Violence, Medical trauma, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Outing

Moderate: Ableism, Abortion, Alcoholism, Genocide, Murder, Excrement, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual assault, Racism, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Police brutality, Animal death, and Hate crime

Minor: Xenophobia, Alcohol, Slavery, Deadnaming, Classism, and Colonisation

jennay's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.5

Very well written/ read.

Would love to see this become a movie - if the producers can capture the emotions of the book accurately. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Abortion, Child abuse, Hate crime, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Racism, Animal death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual violence, and Racial slurs

lady_valhella's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

5.0

This story was great but it was not easy read, emotionally.  Yes witches are burned and what is heart breaking is that it’s always only women. This universe has witching, it is common, it is known. Men have witching. But it is the same BS. Women want to be treated as humans, with equity. When they are beaten and molested and constantly under attack the moment they use anything to protect themselves and their abusers are no longer successful out come the pyres and torches. It’s this reality that makes it hard to read this book but the story is great. The bond of the women in this book is great. The men who believe them, they are present but they aren’t in the spotlight. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Kidnapping, and Sexism

Minor: Abortion, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Racism, Child abuse, and Death of parent

escapismforlife's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Confinement, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Abandonment, Classism, and Racism

anniereads221's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Gaslighting, Abortion, Homophobia, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Torture

winx15's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.5

I loved this book and the magic system and the way witches were tied into womrns rights movements. The charachters were whole people with flaws but were given the chance to form meaningful relationships.  I only took half a star off cause i had moments where i thought it should be ending and i was only 1/2 or 3/4 of the way through, so pacing threw me off sometimes,  but it was lovely and wrapped up very nicely and i highly recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Gaslighting, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Religious bigotry, Racism, Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Violence, Pregnancy, and Sexism

Minor: Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Abortion

smoothgoat's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Classism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Police brutality, Racism, and Torture

Minor: Abortion, Animal death, Cultural appropriation, Miscarriage, Slavery, Transphobia, Ableism, Addiction, Blood, Colonisation, Infidelity, Outing, Rape, and Sexual content