Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Las brujas de Su Majestad by Juno Dawson

88 reviews

blewballoon's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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

3.0

Gonna get a bit more "political" than I typically do, since this is a quite "political" book. If you are the type of person who asks yourself "I don't know, I feel like the stuff JK Rowling says in her tweets isn't that big a deal?" and you are genuinely curious to know why it is a big deal, then this might be a good book to help explain it to you. If you are a TERF, you will hate this book. I didn't like this book either, but not for that reason. I didn't like this book in the same ways I didn't like The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin: dwelling on the power that racists/sexists/homophobes/transphobes/etc have just bums me out. I know things suck. I read to remind myself that sometimes people don't suck. I read to keep myself from falling into a pit of despair about the state of the world. Apart from Niamh, Theo, and Holly, I didn't really like any of the characters. I absolutely hated the ending. I felt like I knew what was coming the whole time and just wanted it to be over. I gave it 3 stars because of the intention, the world-building, the setting, and there were some funny lines. I don't think this is a bad book, it just didn't suit me even though I agree with its message. The narrator for the audiobook was really fantastic, I'll be looking for more books narrated by them. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Transphobia

Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug use, Sexual assault, and War

sassyykassie's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Transphobia

Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, Outing, and War

shottel's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Shock ending that does great damage to the rest of the book. Stop reading after page 417. Cut it off exactly at that page and I’d bump it up a star. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Transphobia, Blood, Outing, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria

shannenscribbles's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Torture, Transphobia, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

katcass's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Transphobia

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Car accident, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death

funkylitchick's review against another edition

adventurous emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Transphobia

Moderate: Deadnaming, Death, and Racism

wallflovver's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.75

after i got over the hurdle of switching povs, i really fell into the rhythm of the story

i loved these characters, bar one of course. i really enjoyed them together and seeing their sisterly bond. 

the magic system was also so interesting to get into! i liked the lore that made this magic it's own thing, and the reliance on nature was a lovely aspect that gets any magic system points from me!

this did feel like a very direct response to joanne revealing herself as a terf, and i revelled in that! very very enjoyable to me!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Hate crime, Transphobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Car accident, and Alcohol

sashahc's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

5.0

“Her Majesty’s Royal Coven” by Juno Dawson is modern fantasy in England with hidden communities of witches and warlocks that are known to the highest government but no one else.  Four old friends have gone their own ways, practicing magic in different contexts.  Elle is a housewife, Niamh has become a country vet, Leonie has created a coven centering diasporic PoC and Helena remains the only one working for the government in HMRC, now High Priestess.  Niamh is asked to mentor some young magic users, including Theo, a traumatized and powerful young person who may be prophesied to destroy HMRC.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, and Abandonment

kaleidoscope_heart's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Transphobia, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Car accident

popatschi's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Racism, and Murder

Minor: Car accident