Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Circe by Madeline Miller

74 reviews

kmp19's review against another edition

adventurous relaxing 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

Moderate: Pregnancy, Torture, Violence, and War

Minor: Blood, Death of parent, Cannibalism, Rape, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, and Murder

readingizbiz's review

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

The writing was very frilly and imaginative. Not my favorite style when reading especially when explaining details that are not of major importance to the story. The ending was also weird and felt rushed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexism

izzykai's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Violence

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

A beautiful book about the need to be loved and the difference between loneliness and solitude, this story begins in Circe’s childhood and, as she’s immortal, ends after hundreds of generations.  We follow her from the halls of the gods to the island home she shares with wild animals when she’s exiled after angering Zeus. 

Circe makes a life for herself collecting herbs and plants for witchcraft and weaving on the unusual loom that was a gift from Daedalus. She has few encounters with humans and immortals, and her reputation as a fearsome witch grows. Any who challenge her spend the rest of their days in a sty looking at fellow pigs. 

The author is able to craft an interesting character study where there’s little interaction with other people. I was initially put off by the almost juvenile storytelling till I realized that, as she’d just been born, Circe was indeed quite juvenile. As she matured, so did the writing style and so did my appreciation of the talented author. I hope she continues to rewrite Greek myths. She expands on stories I learned in my youth and I want more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Rape, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

mahoyap's review against another edition

adventurous informative relaxing medium-paced

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

4.5

I enjoy this book eventhough it was a rather slow-paced for me. It was a delightful read. Like, a day in the life of Circe kind of book. Madeline Miller really great at her words and storytelling. There’s some parts that got me bored but overall satisfied through the end.  

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape and Animal cruelty

gabriella_'s review

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

I read most of this book on a round trip train ride and someone’s front lawn. My god this book was gripping. I preferred The Song of Achilles for the romantic overtures but I think Madeline Miller really comes into her own as an author writing prose in this piece. The depth of the way she characterizes has compounded exponentially in this book. It’s such a refreshing spin on Greek mythos that I couldn’t put the book down.

This book made me laugh and cry within mere lines. I love the way Madeline Miller writes structures of misogyny without relegating women to damsels, and while writing all her characters as multidimensional with their own agendas. She captures the essence of Greek mythos without letting it choke out her own artistic vision.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Rape, Child death, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Cannibalism, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Sexism, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, Violence, Blood, Body shaming, Confinement, Medical trauma, Medical content, Misogyny, Incest, Sexual harassment, War, Child abuse, Classism, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

issyd23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing 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

Welcome to Αἰαία, see the pigs transform from humans. Welcome to Αἰαία, hope you like Circe you ain’t leaving. Caroline Polachek would love it here 4🏝️

I love how intricate names in Greek mythology are: Helios, Pasiphaë, Minos, Aeëtes & then there’s literally Jason!💀

NB Fuck, marry, kill: Odysseus, Achilles, Paris (in that order) 🏛️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Violence, Gore, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Torture, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, and War

wet_towlette's review

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

4.75

Circe is so real, I love her. I wish she was able to get some better revenge or something though. It was kind of lacking in the action sense. Not that I really minded it, it's just that this story is marketed as an epic and usually with epics there's a lot more action.

I'm happy she got her happy ending I just wish it wasn't with her son's brother 😭 that is so weird.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Animal death, Rape, Violence, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual assault, Torture, Alcohol, Body horror, and Sexism

Minor: War, Grief, and Child death

gaeke's review against another edition

informative reflective 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

2.0

for a character driven book, this sucked. while I was reading this, I felt like this was the type of story you have to come into already invested or at least slightly interested in the characters. circe wasn't redeemable in any way, and if that was the point I didn't get it. the characters were replaceable in my opinion, and none really left a strong impression on me. circe's actions pissed me off and I came here expecting a strong female main character but was terribly disappointed. I will say though that circe's mother arc had to be the best part of this book for me. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Incest, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, and Rape

quentinwal's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Sexism

Minor: War and Animal cruelty