Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

It Will Only Hurt for a Moment by Delilah S. Dawson

14 reviews

megwilli's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.75

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sausome's review

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dark medium-paced

1.5

 1.5/5 stars - Ugh, idk if I hated this book, or if it all just made me so angry that reading it was an awful experience, or if all the characters were awful, or the fact that there are GRAPHIC and BRUTAL rape scenes in multiples. I ended up swiping past the pages of Emily Engle's POV b/c they were so graphic and horrible. There is also no resolution in this book, so if you need that to feel okay about horrible stories, this is a pass for you! 
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singsinthecar's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A complex and amazingly woven story. Suspense, a little humor, and a cast of diverse characters. It has multiple twists that constantly maintained my attention.  

Trigger warnings: 
  • Attempted rape
  • Bloody injuries
  • Descriptions of abuse of women in the 19th century
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alexisgarcia's review

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dark mysterious 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? Yes

1.0

the more i think about this book, the more mad i get. the only good character in this was ingrid (except for what she did to the young kid (i forgot his name and already returned this to the library)). 

the large amount of detailed descriptions of
rape
were completely unnecessary imo. same thing with the random
animal cruelty which was never explained
so many crazy things happened with exactly 0 explanations
who killed all of the artists, who killed the animals and why, how the nails play into this, how the glass appeared in the clay, etc. i could go on and on
. it left me wondering what the point of including it even was. 

also don’t get me started on the ending. it was so out of left field and unsatisfying. it felt like she couldn’t figure out a way to wrap up all of the different plot points so she decided to go with something that had nothing to do with the entire book. 

i really really liked bloom so this felt like such a letdown. 
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charliemoo's review

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

4.0

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anabookadventures's review against another edition

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

3.0

I was really loving this at the beginning; the atmosphere and setting are top notch! But the S.A. content was a bit much for me, and that ending was absolutely trash for all this story was leading up to, so much more / better could have been done to wrap this up. I appreciate the themes, just think the execution could have been better. 
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minimicropup's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? No

3.5

I liked most of this, even when I was angry at certain characters. It was engaging, thought-provoking, weird, and atmospheric. But the end felt incomplete or tacked on. 
 
Energy: Hostile. Evasive. Cautious.
 
🐕 Howls Sudden switch from slow-burn weird horror to popcorn thriller (convenient rush of villains, chaotic bursts of violence). The story introduced a lot of mysterious sub-plots and angles, then lost or cut them off abruptly at the end (I have so many unanswered questions). Reiterating the commentary on misogyny and narcissism instead of progressing the story.
 
🐩 Tail Wags The art installation descriptions and insights into the art-making process. The slow, steady pace allowed for gradual character development.Showing how women have historically been labeled irrational, spoiled, or mentally unstable for expressing simple boundaries. How it didn’t shy away from exposing how some women are complicit in perpetuating those injustices. Balanced view of abuse and sociopathy transcending gender. Unsettling ending. The justice moments (the plot made me mad, but not in a frustrating way).   
 
Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in Tranquil Falls Artists’ Retreat in Georgia, USA.
Perspective: A potter who hasn’t made art in the last five years while in a toxic relationship finally gets out and is accepted to an artist’s retreat. While there strange things start happening, including dreams where they are a guest at the abandoned resort on site. 
Timeline: Current (2020s). 🍂 Beginning of fall.
🔥 Fuel: Cliffhangers. Group dynamics. Atmosphere. Why are the artists suddenly acting strangely? What really happened between the retreat leaders and an especially misogynist artist? What’s with the second floor of the cabin our MC is staying in? Why was the resort hotel suddenly abandoned? 
📖 Cred: Suspended disbelief with a touch of paranormal 
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Oak must. Yeast cinnamon and apple. Distant roar of a waterfall. Lavender potpourri. Stained glass windchimes. Mildew. Rot. Cold stone. Antiseptic. 
  • Glimpse of 1800s pseudoscience health resort
  • Books to read in the forest, fall vibes
  • Escaping a toxic relationship, starting anew romantic energy
  • Cast of eccentric artists
  • Exploring secret areas off-limits
  • How did they die? Mysteries
  • Visions, nightmares, out of body experiences
  • Third person whispering context to us as we watch scenes unfold, getting to know everyone alongside the main character
  • Chaos and strangeness
  • Irony and ghostly revenge
 
Content Heads-Up: Alcohol abuse, alcoholic parent. Narcissistic parent, no contact. Animal death (brief on page; possum, snake, rabbits). Vomit. Corpse/skeleton (discovery of). Toxic, narcissistic colleagues. Bullying (vandalism, theft, threats). Confinement (implied, evidence of and on page). Misogyny. Ageism (towards younger gen). Sexual assault, rape (within relationship; descriptive recall on page). Medical (injuries, heart attack, bleeding). Drugging. Forced institutionalization (medical asylum). Personality disorders, psychopathy. 
 
Rep: American. Cis. Hetero. Dark brown, pale, and ambiguous skin tones.
 
📚 Format: Library Hardcover
 
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶
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sierramatice's review

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dark tense 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

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nicekweenreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

While I can certainly see how this can be a decisive book, I absolutely loved it. 

Pros:
I really liked and related to Sarah, the main character. She is a women who just cut off ties with her manipulative mother and just left an emotionally abusive relationship. Accepted to an artist colony, Sarah is excited to find who is without her ex. However, strange events start occurring the moment she accidentally digs up a woman when trying to dig an area for a kiln. From there she is mysteriously connected to the dead woman, receiving flashbacks to her life, and the horrors that await at the property.

Most of the characters felt real and multidimensional. I could relate to a lot of them in many ways (except the artistic talent). 

I also really liked the feminist perspective this book was written from. It's very refreshing in the horror genre and sadly relatable. 

Another relatable relationship was the "romantic interest".
A lot of books have some hunky, magical man to come in and save the heroine's heart, this isn't it. I love they didn't get together. Right person, wrong time.


Though I'm not normally a fan of historical horror, I thought it was done well.
The historical truth of how easily women were given to asylums added an extra layer of eeriness. The ties between Emily and Sarah served as a great, yet heart breaking parallel. I do wish Emily has a better redemption though.


Cons:
I felt the pacing was a little slow in beginning. We spend a long time with characters that don't really matter much. 

I am positive the nails were supposed to have some bigger conenction but I didn't get it. It was really clear what those who held them besides being randonly possessed.


I also felt the ending was also little rushed and odd, especially when compared to how long the beginning of the book was.
The ex boyfriend showing up at the end in the hotel was so odd. Especially since there was no expalnation if he and Gale were working together.


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book_byrd's review

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

3.0

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