Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
25 reviews
mcft37's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Really. Wow.
This book was simply stunning. I adored the fantastical elements of magical realism woven throughout the story. Each character was richly developed. A beautifully written ode to love.
This book was simply stunning. I adored the fantastical elements of magical realism woven throughout the story. Each character was richly developed. A beautifully written ode to love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Death, and Sexual violence
starryeyedlover's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, Animal death, Xenophobia, Grief, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Eating disorder
adelll's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism
stembo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
bree_of_the_woods's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I loved this book… and then the last 40 pages happened. It’s a struggle. The writing style is poetic, enchanting, magical.
The magical realism aspect of beautifully done, and the many minor stories woven into the plot, depicting magic in every day occurrences and the way it impacts the lives of everyone was delicious. It reminded me very much of Alice Hoffman’s writing.
A tale of generational struggles, love lost and the tragedies that follow four generations of the Roux-Lavender family. It’s sad, but captivating, and you hope for more for the FMC and her twin. The magical realism portions are never explained, which is fine, but I do find the violence that occurs in the last quarter of the book to be very strong and relatively undealt with by the end. I’m not sure it served a purpose, or was properly resolved. We experience the fallout from the secondary characters, a minor chapter from the FMC, and then it’s all wrapped up quite abruptly from there. Which is what causes me to give the book a lower rating. It had great potential but I’m not sure the ending was the right one.
The magical realism aspect of beautifully done, and the many minor stories woven into the plot, depicting magic in every day occurrences and the way it impacts the lives of everyone was delicious. It reminded me very much of Alice Hoffman’s writing.
A tale of generational struggles, love lost and the tragedies that follow four generations of the Roux-Lavender family. It’s sad, but captivating, and you hope for more for the FMC and her twin. The magical realism portions are never explained, which is fine, but I do find the violence that occurs in the last quarter of the book to be very strong and relatively undealt with by the end. I’m not sure it served a purpose, or was properly resolved. We experience the fallout from the secondary characters, a minor chapter from the FMC, and then it’s all wrapped up quite abruptly from there. Which is what causes me to give the book a lower rating. It had great potential but I’m not sure the ending was the right one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Child death
emmybe's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
I do have a couple of bones to pick :
Although he is one of the most likeable characters, Henry’s autistic coding feels stereotypical and derivative.
Also, there is a line near the very end in which Ava’s injuries are included in a lament regarding the suffering of victims of love. I would argue that the harm done to Ava had nothing at all to do with love, and to imply as such is to perpetuate a dangerous misunderstanding of the motivation of sexual assault.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Ableism
midastouchchevydoor's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
never before have i read something so painfully exquisite or tragically beautiful. i never want to see this book again, it wrecked me so. this book is one that anne shirley cuthbert would never, ever, shut up about. we’re the same in that respect. now, thanks to leslye walton, there is an ache in my heart so strong idk if it’ll ever go away. i hate this book for one reason: no other story will EVER live up to the expectations “the strange and beautiful sorrows of ava lavender” has created. the bar is so high, ava herself couldn’t reach it. or can she? find out yourself. your life will remain incomplete until you’ve consumed every last word of this book. trust me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Violence
tmw1122's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
lovelymisanthrope's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I buddy read this with a friend, and she adores this book. I was really excited to see why she loved it so much, but I, unfortunately, am still left wondering why anyone enjoys this novel.
This novel follows Ava Lavender, and the entirety of her family, as they try to live in their small town while they are also ostracized from their community. Ava was born with beautiful wings. She has been taunted, harassed, and entirely misunderstood her entire life. Ava just wants to be like all of the other girls, but on her quest for acceptance, she almost loses herself entirely.
I have researched, watched live shows, and had a thorough one-on-one discussion so I could try to articulate why I did not enjoy this book, but I am still left at a loss for words. I did read "The Astonishing Color of After" not too long before this, so maybe I just had my fill of magical realism? One of my biggest gripes with this story is that it is entitled "The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender", but we do not meet Ava Lavender until almost halfway through this book. The book tries to encompass the Lavender's entire family, and the story is told through an array of perspectives. I understand and appreciate that to understand Ava Lavender's story, we need to understand where she came from, but I ultimately felt like there were too many perspectives and not enough from Ava to warrant that she is the title of the book. I do not mind multiple points of view, but this book was overkill. Additionally, there is a very explicit rape scene in this book, but I did not see anyone mention this as a content warning. On a poetic level, I see what this scene brought to the story, but I do not think we needed such explicit and lengthy details about it.
Overall, this story was a letdown, but I would give Leslye Walton another chance in the future.
This novel follows Ava Lavender, and the entirety of her family, as they try to live in their small town while they are also ostracized from their community. Ava was born with beautiful wings. She has been taunted, harassed, and entirely misunderstood her entire life. Ava just wants to be like all of the other girls, but on her quest for acceptance, she almost loses herself entirely.
I have researched, watched live shows, and had a thorough one-on-one discussion so I could try to articulate why I did not enjoy this book, but I am still left at a loss for words. I did read "The Astonishing Color of After" not too long before this, so maybe I just had my fill of magical realism? One of my biggest gripes with this story is that it is entitled "The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender", but we do not meet Ava Lavender until almost halfway through this book. The book tries to encompass the Lavender's entire family, and the story is told through an array of perspectives. I understand and appreciate that to understand Ava Lavender's story, we need to understand where she came from, but I ultimately felt like there were too many perspectives and not enough from Ava to warrant that she is the title of the book. I do not mind multiple points of view, but this book was overkill. Additionally, there is a very explicit rape scene in this book, but I did not see anyone mention this as a content warning. On a poetic level, I see what this scene brought to the story, but I do not think we needed such explicit and lengthy details about it.
Overall, this story was a letdown, but I would give Leslye Walton another chance in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Torture, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, and Stalking