Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

9 reviews

willow1113's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Rape, Racism, Mental illness, Infidelity, Murder, Death, Addiction, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Death of parent, Suicide, Stalking, Sexism, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Incest

aliennas's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

It honestly has no business being this long. The “Yes, rape me!” and the pedophilia, incest and other… uncomfortable aspects of the book were big yikes. That being said, the narrative and the plot in itself is really cool. Part 2 is a clear highlight. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Violence, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Infidelity, Blood, and Incest

Moderate: Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Murder, Grief, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Medical content, Gaslighting, Death, Confinement, Chronic illness, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Body horror, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pedophilia, Infidelity, Incest, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Terminal illness, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, and Pregnancy

cuteasamuntin's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

I’m not sure I particularly liked this book. It isn’t a particularly fun or nice read, but I can already tell that it’s going to really stick with me. While it’s slow enough that I was at times impatient for Rice to get on with it, the narrative was still very compelling.

I really enjoyed the family chronology and learning more about the Talamasca. My favorite parts were 1) the deep and pure expressions of familial and romantic love dappled throughout an otherwise grim and haunting story and 2) Michael

in a joyous frenzy over restoring the house, to the point that I was hanging onto every word about his historically accurate and thoughtful renovations

, but the latter is probably just a hazard of my day job.

Funnily enough, I just didn’t care at all about the spirit Lasher, to the point that I found myself actively bored when

he is finally present in the narrative and begins interacting directly with Rowan

. I think this may have been a stronger story without that aspect being so explicitly present. This may, of course, be in part to already knowing the general principles of how spirits/“demons” work in the Anne Rice universe due to being a dedicated admirer of Maharat and her Great Family™ from The Vampire Chronicles. 

For audiobook listeners, the talented Kate Reading really makes this heavy tome a lot less of a slog. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Blood, Death of parent, Ableism, Abandonment, Death, Incest, Bullying, Gore, Grief, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Rape, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Confinement, Body horror, Mental illness, Medical content, Pregnancy, Stalking, and Torture

Moderate: Classism, Confinement, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Dementia, Medical content, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual content

Minor: Drug use, Abortion, Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Colonisation, Dementia, Kidnapping, and Car accident

katestar_p's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Racism, and Alcohol

dragonaion's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

This is my fourth book of Rice's that I've read, the first being the Beauty trilogy, and this was a very different pace than I was expecting. 
It is on the slower side, looping in years of history like a story-in-a-story that can be at times, hard to read. Half of the book is about the Mayfair history and I can't count the number of times I thought, "Is this really all necessary to the story?" 
This is a dark read, as Rice is known for, and while hard for some readers, it is filled with interesting complex thoughts and ideas. Heavily Christian, it adds a contrast to the questioned morals shown by the characters and their situations. It appears that the book is character driven, however the arching plot is revealed at the end and loops the entire story together, as if you're riding down the ribbon as you read to suddenly find yourself atop a perfectly wrapped present, bow and all, on the last page. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, and Death of parent

Moderate: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Terminal illness, Racial slurs, and Abortion

As Rice is known for, she is not shy with the sexual content and rough concepts, and she is going back in history, so there is some underage content, slavery, and "okay at the time" wording that may disturb some readers.

mafer1's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Incest, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, and Medical content

rumireads's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Pedophilia, Rape, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Suicide, Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Torture, Murder, Excrement, Gaslighting, Incest, Death, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gore, and Body horror

samthescorpio's review

dark 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow this book is such a masterpiece, it’s very dark but very well crafted, I can’t believe it doesn’t have more of a cult following than it does. AMC has plans to make it into a show soon, so read it now before it’s spoiled for the world!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, and Incest

Moderate: Body horror and Blood

Minor: Gore, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Car accident, and Child abuse

foreverinastory's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

Damn that was long as fuck.

Rep: white female MC, white bisexual male side character, Black side characters, white achillean male side character.

CWs: Adult/minor relationship, alcohol consumption, alcoholism, blood, death, death of parent, drug use w/o consent, forced institutionalization, incest (many times), injury/injury detail, medical content, mental illness, misogyny, murder, pedophilia, pregnancy, rape & coercion, religious bigotry, sexism, sexual assault, sexual content, suicide (two times), violence. Moderate: racism, homophobia/homomisia, grief.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, and Drug use

Moderate: Racism, Homophobia, and Grief