Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

10 reviews

kallissabailey's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.75

The first book in series felt a bit clunky as the story unfolded but by end of book it evened out to be a really well told story in second and third books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, War, and Toxic friendship

rape, graphic descriptions of violence and gore

rc_boxnut's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Pedophilia and Child abuse

daretodream03's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Ableism and Homophobia

haleyrayreads's review

dark lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.5

The concept of this book is great, the characters are okay, but the plot drags a bit. I appreciate not being dragged through separate books for each year of school but the transition between years could be abrupt and unclear at times. 

The story is mainly driven by character who are pretty one note and their motivations are questionable at best. Their main quest is motivated by ‘well we aren’t doing anything else right now.’ and it takes forever to get to that point. This first 2/3 if this book was so slow. However, once they’re off on their quest the story moves at a more brisk pace that’s refreshing until the main antagonist is taken care of. After that it goes on several chapters too long. It felt like every time a chapter ended I thought that was the end, then there was even more story that served no purpose than to allow readers to wallow in our narrator’s sorrow. This could have been cut in half or more and gotten the same point across. 

The concept is great and it’s a fun story with some adjustments, but the pacing, character development, and casual use of ableist and fatphobic language would make me hesitate to read this particular book again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Blood, and Cursing

Moderate: Ableism, Gore, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Fatphobia, and Mental illness

Minor: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Infidelity, Body shaming, and Sexual content

audriew9's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Alcoholism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Toxic relationship

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

jmeier's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

3.0

I would give this book a five if it weren't for the mild to moderate ableism, racism, and overall attitude of white privileged. The characters are all white. The setting is all white. The narrator and protagonist us multiple disability slurs and is deeply judgemental of neurodiverse coded characters. I love the story, but it reads like something from the 80s at points, not 2009.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, and Classism

Moderate: Fatphobia, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Sexism, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcohol, Biphobia, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry

warlockdorian's review against another edition

The writing is bad and reminds me of a fan fiction with metaphors that are far too forced. Grossman wins the crown for men-writing-women with his unnecessary sexist and even racist descriptions of the character. The gay character is made fun of for his sexuality and slut-shamed (there are rape jokes made on their behalf). The story drags because of the POV. Quentin is a whiny nice-guy protagonist who feels like an author self-insert. None of the characters are likeable, which wouldn't be a problem if their flaws were a focus of the story. All in all this book is a big cringe fest and I would not recommend it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcohol, Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Blood, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Violence, Sexism, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts

lauralintunen's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Ableism, Cannibalism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Cursing, and Sexual content

Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Incest, and Animal cruelty

suzanlemont's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No

3.25

I enjoyed the first 2/3 more than the last third. It starts off as a charming mix of Harry Potter and Narnia fan fiction with a distinctive adult edge missing from those books. But it descends in the end into a bit of a clumsy and less-inspired moral-less Narnia rip off towards the end which made me struggle through the last 150 pages or so. It had some really beautiful and interesting nuggets of great writing and if not totally original then at least curiosity-arousing and entertaining plot devices but the character development was wildly uneven/incomplete and I had a sense the author was floundering around at various times. I couldn't make an emotional attachment to any of the characters in the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Death

Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, and Violence

auteaandtales's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence