Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski

57 reviews

sapphic_in_the_stacks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Though slow to start, once the book begins to pick up it grabs your attention and holds it until the end. Finale of the book leaves many things unresolved, leaving you wanting more. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Drug use, Toxic relationship, War, Death, and Murder

Minor: Cannibalism

veerau's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I'll admit, I thought this was going in a totally different direction up until the last half of the book (and I'm so glad it did).

Thought Nirrim would end up as a "lost princess finds love in lost princess" kinda trope, glad it didn't, and then Sid went "actually...🤓" SMH

I have a soft spot for characters like Sid, although I enjoyed her more in the first part. Maybe it's the mystery aura, idk.
Big shoutout to the sisterhood between Nirrim, Annin and Morah! Love how their bond doesn't get forgotten in favor of romance :)

at least up until the weird final pact that went on, not sure what that's about? But I hope we get to know more about that in the second book

Also I really wanted to say, that cover is so beautiful!! I love it so much <3

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Homophobia and Drug use

Minor: Child death, Blood, and Death

amazingracerose's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful reflective 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Confinement, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Lesbophobia, and Emotional abuse

raebies_03's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

This book was amazing. The tension had me kicking my feet and giggling like nobody's business.

The manipulation and abuse from Raven definitel  hit a nerve with me. I hate seeing people being taken advantage of and as someone who has been in Nirrim's position, I felt very connected to her character. In saying that, I also connected to Sid in the way she was so angered to see Raven treat Nirrim as she did.

I'm looking forward to continuing the series. Very happy to close out the year with a 5⭐️

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Classism

Moderate: Homophobia

motaki's review against another edition

Maybe I'll give it another go but it's a character driven book and I don't like Nirrim very much, I feel sorry for her but it's taking ages to go anywhere. 
I would love it if we were following Sid, she seems quite an interesting person instead of our MC, whom is stuck in abusive relationships, and in a comp-het society. 
Norrim just piles up her mistakes, because she is convinced she doesn't deserve anything and lets others bully her. 
I thought she would outgrow her fears but it's taking forever and I'm too old to keep reading things that feels like pulling teeth

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia

strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-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

3.0

The beginning wasn’t very interesting but then the middle got better. I was getting excited to read the second one until the very last line. That last line made me so very angry, however I still need to read the second book to see what happens with said last line. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Torture, Abandonment, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Death, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Lesbophobia, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content and Body horror

Minor: Child abuse

nicnevin's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

3.0

So this is the first book I've read from this author and its... Alright? I found the ending quite... Abrupt and the worldbuilding is a little slapdash however I realise that this is already set in a world from other books she wrote. 

Sid and Nirrim are a cute couple but I don't know how it ends. I guess leaving the book on such an abrupt ending ticked me off because it felt like a lot of build up for not much pay off bit I suppose that's why is more than one book. 

the magic blood reveal was pretty obvious so it annoyed me it took everyone so long to figure it out. Also shouldnt diluted blood be a yellowy orange colour? Maybe magic blood hits different idk

Don't get me wrong, the book is okay but just didn't gel with me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical content, Murder, Outing, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Ableism, Child death, Drug abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Drug use, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

sandy_21's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.5

the ending suckssss

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse

Moderate: Murder, Abandonment, Homophobia, and Drug abuse

Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Sexual assault

annaki_laila's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

3.0

The bulk of the important plot points only started happening past the halfway point. There were enough moments of miscommunication to get on my nerves, though it could've been worse. Overall lacking in the world-building department; the base concept was interesting but there just wasn't enough to get properly immersed in.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, and Death

octopus_farmer's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

It really did throw the potential for the next book in the trash huh. Other worldbuilding was cool and I liked Sid and Nirrim’s relationship but that ending really didn’t do anything for me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Blood