Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Winchelsea by Alex Preston

4 reviews

meganmarymay's review

adventurous 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? No

3.5

I found it hard to connect with Goody and there didn’t seem to be a real closeness that the reader could have with her as a character. I found the plot interesting and what carried me to finish the novel more so than seeing the end to Goody’s story. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Gun violence, Murder, Terminal illness, Violence, Incest, Alcoholism, and Pregnancy

Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Misogyny

njh_books's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I was not sure what I was expecting but this was not it. Still, I read it in less than 72 hours soooo was very enticing.

It is for sure not for anyone who is squeamish. It does include a lot of graphic descriptions of violence and body parts/blood and injuries and death.

The different narrators threw me for a bit at first, just since we had "Goody", but really it was (surprise) Arnold as the narrator for the first 240 pages. The intimate friendship between Goody/William and Johnstone was interesting to see from an outside perspective, but also I think one could've not included that section and everything would have still worked/made sense without it. I did enjoy Arnold's section at the end and Goody coming back in to cut him off, though I wish the epilogue was longer because I'd be intersected to see how her life was as Goody again (and with Lily.

I'm glad Lily and Goody got their happy ending, but Lily put Goody through the wringer after Arnold's injury and poor Lily suffering on her wedding day. It was nice to see that she came back to herself or her new self towards the end of the pregnancy/after the birth. The women in this book really get the absolute worst of the lot.

As I said with another book earlier this year (looking at you A Secret History), I could've done without the incest, though one could argue it's not technically incest, but the whole having been raised together as brother and sister did make it a bit incesty... 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Gore, Sexual violence, Blood, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, War, Violence, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, and Incest

Minor: Child abuse, Abandonment, and Child death

sarahlizbooks's review

adventurous challenging dark 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, and Violence

shiveryteacup's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Incest, War, Death, Gun violence, Grief, Rape, and Slavery