Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Manningtree Witches by A.K. Blakemore

18 reviews

imogenfawcett's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Torture

renbot's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

A super honest and raw look into the with hunting craze that took place in England/Scotland in the 17th century. The narrator's voice is very raw and dissembling, and this story makes no attempt to uplift you other than to assure you that the strengths of the main character and her fellow accused will never be broken.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Misogyny

Moderate: Torture and Dementia

lostinthelibrary's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

2.0

This book was a disappointment for me. I find this period of history really interesting but the author did not manage to create a compelling story from it. The writing style was beautiful but bloated and I think that the impressive amount of research Blakemore compiled worked to her disadvantage as she tried to include too many of the real stories she had read and it all became a bit muddled. While I generally like a dark story this was just too grim and grimy and if I wasn't reading it for a book club I probably would have dnf'd.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Torture, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Excrement

rynicolereads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.25

The Manningtree Witches is dark, atmospheric, and beautifully written. Blakemore’s prose transports you to the 1640s English witch trials as if you’re really there. Although it was slow to start, the quality of the writing hooked me and by the end I loved it, though I did initially wish for there to be a bit more magic. However, upon learning that this was based on truth, I had even greater appreciation of the story. I love a fictional retelling of historical events!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Child death

evangelinereading's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Torture

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Minor: Blood

darcyjanea's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Child death and Death

clea's review against another edition

dark tense 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? No

4.25

Beautifully rich, lyrical (but also quite dark) prose; the author's roots in poetry are obvious and help to create an immersive and captivating atmosphere of 17th century Britain. Due to this high level of writing and heavy use of "advanced" vocabulary, it was a little difficult for me to read. After a while, I had to take breaks from reading because my concentration eventually started decreasing (but this is mainly due to the fact, that English is not my first language) and this prevented me from really getting involved, engaged in the story. 
But it is still a fascinating story that reports the atrocity of witch hunts. The use of dark humor helped to alleviate the tension and allow the reader a brief but longed-for escape from the horrors of the characters' reality. Every character is multi-faceted and we get a profound understanding of their actions and motivations. They feel authentic and I think that A.K Blakemore did a really great job at narrating her story in such a human way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Sexism, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Torture, and Blood

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, and Miscarriage

closelywatchedfilms's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Minor: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Rape, Slavery, and Trafficking