Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

14 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. 

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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

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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

chillin_with_books's review against another edition

sad slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence and Rape

debz57a52's review against another edition

4.5

This book fell on my radar almost a decade ago because of the Goodreads nomination, so I'm glad I finally got around to it.  The story of Ava Lavender is quite a tale, mesmerizing and sad but joyful and lovely too.  What really makes this book, though, is the story of the women (and some men) who came before her; knowing their stories and how they feed into Ava's experiences is what gives this story the depth that enchants readers like me.  The magical realism is pretty special, too, though.  There were a few slow-ish parts, which I mostly skimmed through, but this is such an enjoyable book that I never once thought the skimming was good.  I was just an impatient reader.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Animal death, Sexual violence, Gun violence, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Mental illness, Homophobia, Death of parent, Violence, Confinement, Infidelity, and Stalking

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Violence

lauramcc7's review

dark hopeful reflective 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? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry, Child death, Rape, Animal death, Blood, Violence, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts

annekdotes's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

lilifane's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-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? Yes

5.0

Please check trigger warnings before reading this book. 

No coherent thoughts, just tears.

I loved it so much. The beautiful writing, the magical realism, the quirky and strange characters, the small-town vibes, the multi-generation family dynamics, the heartbreak, the love, the foreboding, the perseverance, the hope. 

But it was hard to read sometimes because of all the... sorrow and trauma and heartbreak, especially towards the end. I basically cried for the last 20% of it. But I still love this book with all my heart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual violence, Death, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Rape, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Sexual assault

wiktoria88's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual violence

kristinjamieh's review

emotional inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual violence