Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda

27 reviews

askirmishofwit's review against another edition

challenging dark funny tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I appreciated what this one did and the fact that, for something so weird, it was also very funny. It's just not for the faint of heart re: body horror and is a pretty depressing read given you're in the head of a starving (physically and emotionally) young woman/vampire as she fights against hunger that she's been told is her human and demon sides fighting to take over from each other. Ultimately, all of it reads like a pretty well-crafted extended metaphor of a character dealing with self-loathing, emotional abuse/manipulation by a parent, sexual harassment, ennui and dissatisfaction, body dysphoria and disordered eating, but wrap it all up in a book seemingly about vampirism that doesn't shy away from some body horror and, frankly, too explicit of a description of a dead duck. But it's just very ~literary fiction~ about the whole thing, IYKWIM.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Eating disorder, Death, Murder, Animal death, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Dysphoria, and Racism

celestial_starboy's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Blood

Moderate: Sexual assault, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Violence

Minor: Racial slurs

libellumartinae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Before going any further with my review I'd like to say that when I started this book, I made a mistake as I don't think that it was appropriate for the period, albeit it was quite comical that I started a book about adulthood after starting my first week of work. Still, this book proved quite too much content heavy for me and I also had my very - high - expectations completely disappointed.

I think it's extremely innovative and interesting the way the author has portrayed vampirism as a metaphor of growing up sheltered and suddenly having to grow up, alongside the whole complex of choosing on which side to land on as the child of immigrated parents; it's definitely a charming idea but I feel like it should have deepened, as so many - important - themes were only brushed superficially. I did enjoy her portrayal of mother-daughter's relationship, but I definitely felt like her whole relationships should have been better deepened (and f*ck you, Ben).

An interesting recount of - suddenly - growing up, that still stayed a bit too dull and unshaped for me!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

kittydouglas's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Sexual harassment

littki's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Animal death, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Gore, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Bullying, Terminal illness, Vomit, Cancer, Chronic illness, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual content, Stalking, Infertility, Death, and Dementia

gzaborski's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

So true vampire bestie, eating men IS self care.

Honestly this novel did a great job conveying the atypical story of a young vampire coming to terms with her creative spirit, her femininity, her mixed race heritage, and her vampire-human identity. 

At times the metaphors presented in this novel felt a bit heavy handed, but overall it was a really fun take on a vampire story and packed a lot of feeling into a 230-page book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual assault

Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Death of parent

nicolesbookreviews's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Murder, Racism, and Toxic relationship

ninajean's review against another edition

3.75

This book is largely no plot-just vibes, but I still found it so interesting. There were a few parts that were a bit slow paced, yet I still enjoyed it. Lydia is struggling to resist the temptation of her vampire identity while struggling with her self-identity as an artist in her 20’s.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Blood

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, and Misogyny

Minor: Infidelity and Vomit

r_o_s_e's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, and Forced institutionalization

nadiaxm's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

4.5 stars 
I loved the ending and this writing was beautiful it was just a bit slow but at the same time that’s kinda what made me like it? also i really wish we saw more about her relationship with her mother and her mixed race identity but, if you love vampires and have an identity crisis please read this you will not be disappointed

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Racism, Gore, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse