Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

60 reviews

giuliagoolia2k's review

adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Absolutely amazing. The writing was fantastic, I thoroughly enjoyed the authors prose. the characters were extremely enjoyable and relatable, and the romance was fantastic. There was a perfect amount of angst, smut, and genuine love and care for each other. A fun mystery and an interesting magic system. Would recommend if you’re looking for a refreshing high quality queer book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Minor: Misogyny and Racism

robin_reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Gay murder mystery in Edwardian London! What else is there to say? A jock with layers. A guarded nerd. This was lovely and highly recommend. 

Add-on after a re-read: 
Still love this book! The audiobook not so much. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Death of parent

clarabooksit's review

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Chronic illness and Mental illness

jessie_h's review

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

5.0

I loved this so much! I’m going to gather my thoughts together and write a full review because I need to be able to fully convey how much I adored everything about this book! 


*ARC provided by the Publisher via Netgalley 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Death of parent

ruthlessreads's review

emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Fun, exciting, and incredibly romantic! This was the romp around Edwardian England I didn’t know I needed. I love Robin & Edwin but especially my sweet boy Edwin, who is just coming into his own power. The magic system was interesting and the plot was both fast-paced and well-written. The mystery of the novel was easy to follow & fun to try to figure out. My favorite thing, however, was the emotional connection between Edwin & Robin 🖤 I really enjoyed watching them fall in love & I can’t wait to see how lovely the next book is! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Blood

Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Homophobia and Alcohol

horns_and_ember's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Torture, Kidnapping, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Murder

Minor: Death of parent

historic_wince's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

This book was written for me. Interesting magic systems; Edwardian Era; semi-sentient manor houses; (the consequences of) underestimating women; full-on queer romance as central as the mystery/heist. 
I was immediately in this world; understood it and loved it.
A lot happens in a short amount of time (a fortnight, really); quick pacing but believable due to the tense circumstances.
Can't wait to read the next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Sexism and Blood

Minor: Homophobia

alireads's review

adventurous lighthearted mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Bullying and Torture

Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Blood

maddyj42's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexism and Death of parent

Minor: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Outing, Abandonment, and Alcohol

allisonwonderlandreads's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

THIS is what fantasy romance ought to be. After engaging in more than my fair share of ranting on the subject, I had a longer list of examples that displeased me than those I would champion. This one melds the two genres into something wonderful with an Edwardian-inspired backdrop and queer characters to pave the way. 

In terms of fantasy, we have Robin, a civil servant uninitiated in magic, who is accidentally assigned as magical liaison and then promptly attacked and cursed on the street. We also have Edwin, the other half of the liaison pair, a magician with only a kernel of power to his name who prefers books and magical theory to any sort of company or risky behavior. The world-building comes through as things are explained to Robin, and I found it an effective tool for informing the reader without burying them. Edwardian manners and social structures are woven through expertly in all their pompous glory (see:vomit-inducing sexism, colonialism, rigid class structure, and laws that kept queer people in hiding). It has me primed with excitement to see how this series is going to let loose the hints of subversion that started to grow in this first outing. 

Now, let's talk romance. You can look forward to these tropes: sunshine and grump, the brains and the brawn, and magician and normal potato human (I made that last one up, so sue me). All of those terms fail to fully sum up these characters, who are gifted with too many dimensions to be listed, classified, and discarded. It would be a disservice not to recognize Robin's areas of non-bookish intelligence on top of his general sportiness or not to see the seeds of Edwin's unhappiness and the way he cautiously inches towards the light once offered. Ultimately, it's a love story with "us against the world" vibes that were very endearing. 

Both the good and bad feels hit hard and take no prisoners. All the big emotional pivots you expect in a romance plot somehow feel new and singular because of their emotional crafting, not just the latest iteration of a favored genre. Robin and Edwin left an imprint on me, and some minor characters hold a lot of promise that I hope will lead to full-fledged obsession on my part down the line. 

Highly highly recommend it. Treat yourself to this decadent queer series opener ASAP. Thanks to Tordotcom for the opportunity to read and review this book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racism, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Outing