Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

49 reviews

thehaylflayl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Murder, Child death, Child abuse, Incest, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Violence, Rape, Confinement, Car accident, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Vomit

suklaa's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Fucking disturbing and I generally love dark themes but this one if truly the peak darkness. It's a very interesting read and it's definitely gonna haunt you after you're done reading. I can't believe y'all read this when you were kids!!!???? I'm deeply disturbed as an adult, I can't even imagine how this would've affected me when I was a kid. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Abandonment, Sexual assault, and Animal death

cordee's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

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

3.25

Read this when I was 12; loved it. Read it again as an adult and holy f*%# is it ever disturbing. Definitely gothic, not really horror, just disturbing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Incest, and Child abuse

Moderate: Animal death and Child death

coco78337's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Animal death, Blood, Death, Misogyny, Abandonment, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Excrement, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Rape

viceloki's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest and Sexual assault

newhope's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

2.75

Um ok.... Too repetitive, could've wrapped this up in 200 pages. The writing was awful too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Sexual content, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Rape

Moderate: Child death, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Vomit, and Blood

moony__3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Violence, Grief, Incest, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Cannibalism

dodger's review against another edition

dark slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Blood, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Murder, Animal death, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Death, Child abuse, Gore, and Incest

tiiiger35's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

I can see why, when published in 1979 ‘Flowers in the attic’ had shock value. It certainly makes for uncomfortable reading with its dark topics, including the underlying theme of incest. 

I assumed a story about four children locked in an attic for years on end, would offer dull & lethargic pacing but V.C Andrews writing was compelling. I’d never read anything quite like it before. 

Taboo subjects aside, there’s betrayal, tragedy, tension & constant twists and turns. I was enthralled by the mother, how she turned from damsel in distress to villain. Poisoned by greed, her powers of manipulation & guilt were truly horrific. The Grandmother was evil incarnated, with her extreme religious views, her demonic, callous nature & sadistic tendencies for brutality, she made the ultimate evil sidekick. 

As is natures way, where there is dark, there is light to be found. The creativity of the children was magical, they turned that dingy attic in to a safe place full of colour and play. Their determination to survive despite their daily horror, gave them a sense of purpose. 

I wondered if Cathy & Chris were pushed in to a scenario that would never have occurred if they weren’t prisoners? or if their parents relationship & the shared bloodline, made it inevitable they were doomed to repeat family history?

I’m definitely reading the next book in this series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Confinement, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Sexism

madelinequinnee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

5.0

Utterly heartbreaking and truly disturbing. 

I decided to read this book because i’m a big fan of Nicole Dollanganger and i know she takes a lot of inspiration from this series. I knew what to expect when going into this, but it didn’t make it any less horrific. I didn’t, however, anticipate this to be so sad. I ended up feeling really connected to the characters by the end, and Cory’s death made me cry. 

I think this book can go in the same category as Lolita, they’re both beautifully written but contain dark content 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death, Rape, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Torture, Murder, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Vomit, Abandonment, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Car accident, Confinement, Incest, and Injury/Injury detail