Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Wilderness of Girls by Madeline Claire Franklin

33 reviews

absiinthe's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Sexual assault

Minor: Cannibalism, Abandonment

cozy_valkyrie's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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: Complicated

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Cannibalism

bluehiraeth's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Cannibalism

Moderate: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Rape

Minor: Violence, Death of parent

artisticdifferences_'s review against another edition

4.75

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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: Complicated

---

I won this book so it was something I would not traditionally pick for myself. 

I will say I found the beginning a bit slow and the adjustment to the writing style took me a few chapters. 

Overall the themes explored in this book I resonated with and I would say this could be an extremely powerful book to read as a young woman or teen. It explores many difficult coming of age feelings and the many difficult societal pressures faced as a girl turning woman. 

I love that some aspects of the story stay shrouded in mystery and leave lots of interpretation up to the reader- further immersing you in the story. Is the magic real? Would it be better to believe or to immerse yourself in the world people are pushing upon you? What choices would you make? The crushing feelings you feel as a reader really help you connect to the girls story. 

This could make an amazing book club book and a book I will consider adding to my list for if I have a daughter. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, Suicide

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault

Minor: Racism, Violence, Death of parent

hanyaya's review against another edition

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Cannibalism, Gaslighting

Minor: Body shaming

melissa_cosgrove's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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: Yes

---

This book is everything. I needed this. I’m blown away by the writing, the story, the characters, all of it. Easily in the top 5 YA books I’ve ever read. I couldn’t put it down. I don’t want to give a single thing away, but this was absolutely phenomenal in every way.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Violence, Grief

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail

lisett's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

---

You know a book is truly addictive when you can't be bothered by the hurricane so rudely raging outside, even as the power goes out, and on, back out, and on again (STOP FLICKERING I'M TRYING TO READ!), trees crash down, limbs narrowly missing your car and taking out part of your fence. Thanks, Hurricane Helene, we now have enough firewood to last us the next 20 years!

Is this a book I would recommend to everyone? Nope. Trigger Warning: It touches on just about every sensitive topic including complex PTSD, suicide, body shaming, emotional abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, cannibalism, and the loss of a parent.

I admire Franklin's writing. She handled these very sensitive topics with care, even going as far as providing readers a preemptive warning and advising us "take care of your personal well-being" before beginning. I wish more writers would do this. It would help me decide if I'm in the right mindset to read such heavy subject matters.

Rhi lost her mom at a very young age, her stepmother is abusive, starves and body shames Rhi, which her cold and emotionally detached father does nothing to stop until he is arrested and Rhi is sent to live with her Uncle Jimmy, her late mother's brother. Uncle Jimmy is the real hero of this story, kind, loving, and understanding. He shows Rhi that true kindest exists even after all she's been through.

While working at a wildlife preserve, Rhi stumbles on wolves protecting a distressed pack of wild young women. One of them is injured by an illegal animal trap, and Rhi helps rescue the girls and earns their trust. She soon discovers they were raised by a mysterious man in the wilderness, some self-proclaimed "prophet" who taught them they were Princesses from another realm, destined to save their kingdoms.

But when the girls are torn from their life of absolute freedom, they are separated, put into foster care, forced to abandon all of their beliefs, and become civilized. This book is emotional, heart-wrenching, and inspiring. Definitely not for everyone, but I loved it.

My rating? 4.5 stars. Why not 5? I was left wanting more resolution about the girls' origins and the real identity of "Mother," the man who raised them. Those questions were never fully answered. Aside from that, this was a wonderful read that I won't forget any time soon. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment

Minor: Bullying, Death of parent

lpogo16's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Gonna be thinking about this one for a little bit. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail

stephmcoakley's review

4.5

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail

emilyrobben's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful reflective

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Wow. Just wow. Not sure how this ended up in my Libby list, but I listened to it in a day. I could not turn it off. This is going to be a book that college professors use in women’s studies. Such a beautiful narrative of the female experience told in a very unique way.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia

While not graphic, this book discusses many of the all too common challenges of the female experience. You build deep emotional connection to the characters, which makes everything more difficult to deal with, so while not ‘graphic’ I would take the trigger warnings seriously.