Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox

11 reviews

prairieraven's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Finished in a sitting. Good Gothic Academia vibes with some sinister magic. Pacing and Flow was a bit of a struggle after the halfway point however after finishing it made sense. I found some of the secondary characters as frustrating as the FMC did. Good character growth. Struggled to read this one without the reader warnings for myself. 

good fit for readers who enjoy historical fiction with alchemical touches, books set after WW1, FMC, a little bit of magic, books about book, manuscripts and libraries and Thier caretakers.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

thalia16's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

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

victoriastarkid's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

2.25

Generally just an okay book. It never felt like anything was described enough for me to get attached to anything. It was a fast read, but the plot just felt like 5 different things thrown at the wall. Nothing ever felt complete enough for me to care about what was happening/the lore as to why.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and War

rhi_'s review

dark tense 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? It's complicated

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

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

libraryghost's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Gaslighting, and War

gracescanlon's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, and Alcohol

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

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