Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

The Binding by Bridget Collins

25 reviews

therukat's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Suicide, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Abortion, Animal death, and Rape

Moderate: Infidelity, Biphobia, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Dementia, Outing, Emotional abuse, Blood, Excrement, and Pedophilia

A dog dies

archkyrology's review

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

"Am I more than you bargained for yet" -Fall Out Boy

In an attempt to play around with the memory wiping aspect to create a mystery, it just becomes confusing. The first half of the book is slow, relaxed, and curious enough to keep you reading. The second half was very fast and genuinely upsetting almost the entire time. I wish a lot of aspects had been done differently. Also a very cliffhanger ending for a book that doesn't have a sequel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Suicide, Rape, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Excrement, Incest, and Ableism

elphayes's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad slow-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? No

4.0

The book is solid but a little flowery in how it's written. I'd have liked a more direct narrative, and the conversations seemed a little 'up to interpretation' in terms of those between the main character and his love interest. 

I'd have liked more focus on the MC and his craft, maybe more focus on how he learned to do it and finish a book etc. It kind of jumped from his sole life story to sudden romance, and was a bit jarring. Given the plot it does make sense but I think it could have been done a little better.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Pedophilia, Murder, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Sexual assault, Vomit, Alcoholism, and Sexual violence

Minor: Sexual content and Child death

uparrowhead's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.0

This book was definitely a challenging read for me, weaved in the huge emotional plot of the story. It does have a hopeful ending, but there is a lot of darkness and pain that you'd need to get through first. I found it rewarding, however, and a very interesting read that touches on a few issues that are faced both now and throughout history.

Many of the reviews I've read call the book slow-placed. With that, I have to agree. However, I think that the pacing of the book fits the content and story that it tells quite well. At certain points, however, like the climax of the story, I can understand how it was annoying and boring to read through, but I mostly didn't mind it.

Something that I have to appalude Bridget Collins for is her use of language and description. Many of the settings of the book were written out in a way that easily sucked me right into the novel, and the writing in the book was, overall, of high quality.

I really enjoyed the premise of the novel; the idea that you could take someone's memories and bind them into a book that they will forget forever. It gave way and allowed the book to explore darker concepts of society, and made the story much more engaging to read through.

I do believe that certain parts of the story weren't developed as much as they could have been,

with the death of Seredith, which seemed to stop effecting Emmett as soon as the book moved into Part Two and Three, and the ending which (although heartwarming) left some questions opened and unanswered in the story.

However, I liked how the majority of the plot played out and, despite times where I wanted to throw this book across the room (which I didn't do, courtesy to it's beautiful cover), I was left satisfied and happy in the long-term of the book.

WARNING : The book does change its POVs throughout Part One, Two, and Three of the story. I personally liked how it was executed, but I know it is not for everyone, and a lot of reviews I've read on here say that it was done poorly and left readers confused.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Outing, Rape, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual harassment, and Suicide

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

benotafraid's review

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Classism, and Homophobia

Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape

sharlapeggy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Outing, Sexual violence, and Suicide

eboiocchi's review

dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Loved this book! Only sad that the ending wasn’t a little longer - would have loved to see more of the happily ever after.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault

greymalkin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

Writing is decent enough and I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the idea of what binders do.  But wow does this book feel like it needs to have all the content warnings included.

I didn't much like any of the characters and the terrible abuse of all the female characters (not a single one is spared) was really upsetting.  Especially as the male characters tended to be the abusers and awful people and for the most part had zero repercussions or punishment.  I also wish that the book had lingered more on the actual bookbinding part instead of just a few descriptions of materials and tools that we never "see" used so we don't know what they do.  Since the author has actually taken a lot of bookbinding classes I expected more but it felt more like what someone might add after an evening of googling and youtube videos.  Since it was such a huge part of the magic system of the world, I wanted more details.  All the bits about "trade" and fakes were intriguing but we never get to interact with them "onscreen".  Humans are storytellers, how is that no one has written down stories before?  If they didn't, then why isn't there more of an oral tradition?  My questions really took me out of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Violence, Child death, Suicide, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Self harm

Minor: Racism, Religious bigotry, Torture, Stalking, and Kidnapping

In case the massive block of content warning tags is not enough, this book has multiple serial pedophilic rapists in it and disturbing homophobic violence. And no, the perpetrators don't get punished. Only their victims get punished and killed.

thecheshire_cat's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Child death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Vomit, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Classism, Death, and Grief

Minor: Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Rape

bri__'s review

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Animal death, Gore, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cursing, Suicide, Vomit, and Violence