Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox

8 reviews

kalebd_2125's review

funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I read this for a sci-fi and fantasy book club. The concept is intriguing and plot done well enough, but the fantasy elements weren't very strong. It felt more like magical realism than full fantasy. I also figured out the plot twist of

Arthur plotting to steal the books very early on. He was the only outsider that seemed really interested in the library so it felt like a dead giveaway. I also figured out the stable boy would be the lover around the same time

I didn't hate it, but won't be one I'd recommend or spend much time thinking about after the book club meeting. The narrator on the audiobook also spoke very slow, I had to turn it up to x1.5 for it to be tolerable.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Forced institutionalization and War

chelbelle122's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Olympic medal in mansplaining and gaslighting. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

beucleral's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and War

pebbletown's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Had a really, really strong start but kind of floundered in the third act, with some too on-the-nose villainous speeches and an anti-climactic big reveal. (I wanted more of the nun, considering she’s the opener to the book!!) But still a really cool and atmospheric read; enjoyed the unreliable narrator (though did not understand 90% of her choices)— also fun and spooky to read a book from the perspective of someone being actively attic-wifed.

I gotta say I did not see the appeal of Arthur at any point of the book—which makes you kind of lose touch with Ivy who falls for him so hook, line, and sinker. Yes for sure let’s get married, charismatic near stranger of local aristocracy who has a mysterious family and a weird fascination with my big haunted library!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Blood, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Ableism, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: War

yruss972's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

pinkfloydian's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

the_crooked_neighbor's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

1.5

This book stressed me out. I wish the description more accurately portrayed what the book would be about and I wish it had trigger warnings. I take part of the blame for not checking more thoroughly beforehand. If you like mysteries with psych horror elements you might like this. If you saw this and thought, "I love books about books," take a strong pass.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Dementia, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual content, Torture, Medical content, and Medical trauma

A heavy focus of this book is

memory loss. As we see the story through the eyes of the person with memory loss, it builds a tense sense of anxiety as we see her struggling to confront the fact that she is slowly losing her mind. Proceed with caution if loss of autonomy and sense of self will trigger you.

magellen's review against another edition

mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I think this is one of Fox's stronger works in the last few years, much better than Lullaby for Witches in terms of plot and craft, but like....goddamn you don't know what's going on through half the book! The memory lapses and the forgotten relationships flounder a bit as the book progresses because we don't have enough emotional investment or understanding for them to land. I enjoyed Ivy as a protag but all and any hint of romance is 👎

The book also has like 3 different off ramps it ignores in favor of dragging on - if you think it's done, oh no, it's gotta limp along a bit more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Dementia, and Gaslighting