Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth

32 reviews

julied's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Addiction, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Sexism, Vomit, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

bandysbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.0

White Horse is a spooky horror novel about a Native American woman trying to find out why her mother went missing many years ago. It's set in Colorado and seamlessly merges Indigenous culture, horror, death metal, and Stephen King references with a suspenseful dark story that will have you at the edge of your seat. 

Kari, the main character, has been sort of operating in the shadows, doing her best to never really stand out. She works as a bartender and spends evenings drinking at her favorite dive, The White Horse. Though she's talked about buying it, she's never actually applied for a loan. Outside of her handicapped father and her cousin, she doesn't have much of a social life and she mostly ignores the disappearance of her mother when she was a child. She is at once likeable and frustrating. You simultaneously want her to live up to her potential and also understand the fears and anxieties that are holding her back.

There is a sort of magical realism element to this story that involves Kari having visions upon handling some of her mother's old jewelry. I really liked how this was incorporated and thought it was a bit more unique than just the typical haunting. My only critique of this aspect is that I wish it was tied a bit more into the ending. 

All in all, I really enjoyed this story. The creepy vibe increases at a nice pace and the who dunnit kept me engaged with the story. I also really enjoyed the focus on Indigenous culture and the overall development of the character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Blood, Car accident, Chronic illness, Violence, Toxic relationship, Death, and Death of parent

unboxedjack's review

dark emotional mysterious 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Alcohol, Blood, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Injury/Injury detail

dahlia_boo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, Addiction, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Cursing, Incest, Colonisation, Abandonment, Ableism, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Rape, Self harm, Gore, Grief, and Pedophilia

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Car accident

mikkarels's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Sexual assault

apworden's review

challenging dark funny 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Grief, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Colonisation, Sexual harassment, Violence, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Police brutality, Gun violence, Child abuse, War, Racism, Cursing, and Emotional abuse

ericarobyn's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

3.5

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth is a tale of secrets that refuse to stay buried…

Kari is an urban indigenous woman that wears black ripped jeans and band t-shirts, loves listening to metal, and always has a horror book on hand. Kari grew up filled with hatred toward her mother as she believed her mother had left her when she was just two days old. Filling the empty space with drugs and alcohol, Kari’s life isn’t on a great trajectory. But when her cousin brings her an old bracelet that has been in the family for a very long time, all of Kari’s core beliefs are shaken and it forces her on a new path.

Suddenly haunted by visions and the ghost of her mother, a fire is ignited in Kari. From there, it’s a rocky journey to find answers. Along the way, she’s forced to face her inner demons.

A slow-burn of a novel, this story takes it’s time winding around each of the story elements just like a car traveling up the Colorado mountain roadways. The paranormal focus was light, but it was sprinkled in just enough to keep catching me off guard!

I will admit, there were times I wanted to scream at Kari for how shortsighted and selfish she was being. She was totally wrapped up in her own things, and couldn’t see two inches in front of her to realize how her actions were affecting others. Of course, that lack of support for others finally explodes, leaving her adrift to solve her problems on her own. I was so excited that she had finally learned to think of others rather than wallowing in her own self-pity and grief. After that turning point, I couldn’t put the book down!

One quick element that I wanted to comment on before moving on is that while I’m not from the area, I have visited! On a work trip, I made it a point to visit the Tattered Cover. I was so excited to see a mention of being in Tattered Cover in one of Kari’s dreams, and then to see her visit the location as well! That is such a cool bookstore. If you’re ever in the area, make sure to stop by!

My Favorite Passages from White Horse

Daddy was brittle. His mind was like a boat lost at sea. Sometimes it came close to the shore, only to push back. I didn’t want to make it so it never made anchor again.

There was something sad and small and yet, almost otherworldly about Idaho Springs, like there were secrets in the cold, rocky ground that might spring up at any time. And take you down with them into the dark.

God, that tapping like a skeletal hand on a mirror.

Though I loved everything by King, I’d always found this particular book to be spellbinding. I remembered finding it in the library one day, after wandering the shelves, my fingers brushing the spines, trying to convince myself to check something more realistic out, something more patently educational, and failing and moving, like I was haunted, toward the horror aisle. For some reason, I hadn’t seen this book before, and finding it, a King I’d never read, felt like uncovering a magic key, one with infinite potential. One that opened doors that acted as portals to other worlds.

I feel strong by the end of that year, I am healed. But I don’t realize that healing requires scars, and I am still rough beneath them, I still have pain locked behind that ropy skin. And there is weakness there, there is vulnerability, a thing I have always been terrified of.

My Final Thoughts on White Horse

I highly recommend this story to fans of slow-burning tales that make you switch back and forth between loving and hating the main character, before settling in on how you feel about them right at the end.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, and Suicide attempt

mfallon3491's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Death, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Misogyny, Addiction, and Child abuse

archaicrobin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

White Horse is a creepy mystery with indigenous folklore, family secrets, and some drama. I really enjoyed the unique voice in this novel and the supernatural elements were truly eerie. However, there were several subplots in this one that felt unnecessary and forced, like they were thrown in to meet page count or something. This is made the second half of the novel a slog for me to get through and I felt like the twist was very obvious. 

If you’re a horror fan or want to read more indigenous fiction I would definitely recommend White Horse, but if you’re looking for something ground breaking or truly terrifying look elsewhere.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Car accident, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Incest, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Grief, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Violence, Alcohol, and Blood

imstephtacular's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, Grief, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Sexual content, Murder, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Violence, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Abandonment, Body horror, Colonisation, Pedophilia, Blood, Gun violence, Gore, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Child abuse, and Cursing

Minor: War, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Vomit, and Pregnancy