Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Circe by Madeline Miller

114 reviews

irinalast's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Body horror, Sexual assault, Death, and Toxic relationship

thursdd4y's review against another edition

adventurous informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.75

Ughhhhhhhhh - I really wanted to love this but I just couldn’t, the writing style totally disregarded the ‘show don’t tell’ mantra and the protagonist was unbearable. I don’t understand the hype. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Torture, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Death, Confinement, Sexual violence, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Animal death, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexism and Rape

marinajonesreads's review

adventurous emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

This was a decent book! My initial rating was 3.5 but then after discussing with my book club, I gave it a 3.75. I liked that there was more of a peeling back than I initially thought. I enjoyed the characters and the behind the scenes of some of my favorite stories, even if I wanted more of it. Solid book, would absolutely recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Confinement

Moderate: Violence, Blood, Rape, War, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Death, Death of parent, Bullying, Abandonment, and Animal death

spookyaz's review

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, War, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Bullying, Gore, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

rjbedell's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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

4.25

Beautifully written, equal parts brutal and empowering in its epic sweep of a life across a thousand years.  Occasionally bogged down in dark tensions, or whisked along by a revolving door of side characters that Miller usually succeeds in making relevant.  Ends on hopeful, inspiring notes as a testament to humanity, love, and mortality.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Rape, Child abuse, Confinement, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, Animal death, Body horror, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: War, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse

Minor: Suicide, Incest, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Child death

taracloudclark's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

If you’ve ever dreamed of hiding away from the world as a cottage witch but still a goddess in your own right, this may become your favorite book. 

Things happen, but this isn’t an action or plot based narrative for sure. It’s a woman figuring herself out and where she fits in the world, even though she’s completely isolated from most of it. 

I’d call it cozy, but it’s not simple or happy. It hits in the warm parts of the body and imagination, and validates those hidden parts of us like our urges to destroy men (and hoes) but also love them. 

Would have loved more spice as the author provided in Achilles. 

Narrator Perdita Weeks was excellent. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Rape, and Murder

picaresquedreamer's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Torture, Sexual assault, Death, Murder, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Animal death, Blood, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child abuse, Bullying, Confinement, Pregnancy, and Torture

Minor: Domestic abuse

zauet's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Self harm, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Abandonment, Animal death, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War

Moderate: Toxic relationship

abicaro17's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

I really enjoyed this book! I think getting to know Circe more intimately and engaging in her story as one piece instead of the fragments created an engaging and creative 400 pages. Circe is both likable and unlikable, blunt and evasive, rude and considerate, caring and unfeeling, and selfish and selfless. She evolves from a naive doormat into a strong and wise witch. I wish I could give this 5 stars but it falls flat for me. I didn't need a battle or a death but I feel like the disconnect from other characters and how flat everyone else seemed made it hard to care about the ending. I dislike comparing books (especially when they aren't actually connected) but, after reading Millers other greek retelling, this feels like an emotional let down. Not sure if my expectations were too high or if this just didn't deliver. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, War, Medical content, Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Gore, and Toxic relationship

vvabecca's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, War, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Bullying, Incest, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Torture