Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Of One Blood by Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins, Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins

1 review

toffishay's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

What an awesome discovery of a classic Gothic fiction written by a Black women! I had not heard about Pauline Hopkins before getting this edition of the Haunted Library of Horror Classics and I am so glad that I was able to pick up this copy. As someone who loves classic Gothic fiction, this book hit all the right tropes. <SPOILER> There's murder, betrayal, secret/hidden identities, power imbalances, revenge, and justice. I think that Dianthe's story was a little weaker in part because she has the role of the classic Gothic heroine, being the victim of injustice and waiting for rescue. In a more modern story, she would have been more active, but she tries to make her own path and receives retribution in the end. <END SPOILER> The pacing was a bit weird too, where the story felt interrupted by Reuel's story line and then we had to jump back to the original line. I also liked Reuel by the end and was eager to follow him as our main hero.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Blood, Toxic relationship, Murder, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Death, Sexism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Incest, Medical content, Violence, Animal death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Child death, Confinement, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Colonisation, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Classism