Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Luster by Raven Leilani

19 reviews

nialiversuch's review

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

chichio's review

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

LOVE LOVE LOVED IT! Edie, the protagonist, is aggravatingly human which means that she’s flawed and continues to make decisions influenced by those flaws. It’s painful to watch her fall into the same mistakes over and over again because it’s literally an experience we all have and may, unfortunately, continue to go through. Left a massive impact on my emotions even after I closed it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, and Medical content

Minor: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts

bxs's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Stalking

literarylion's review

dark emotional funny reflective 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? Yes

4.5

Pros:

• Absolutely staggeringly gorgeous writing
• Rich social commentary that is not didactic or patronizing
• Vivid rendering of characters 

Cons:

• Plot weaved around a bit, not really cohering, but that is to be expected from a character study like this

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Miscarriage and Racism

Minor: Abortion, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Medical content, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Suicide

culown's review against another edition

emotional fast-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

ifersinklings's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I have struggled with my thoughts on this book for hours since I finished it. I enjoyed the writing and the way the story was told and how it unfolded, but I just can't figure out what it was supposed to accomplish. There were so many different aspects and nuances to the story that just never felt like anything was given enough time to be fleshed out. Then it ended. It just seemed to end so abruptly without any real resolution. I also struggled with the infidelity as a central theme to this story. That is definitely a personal issue and one that I did know going into this book, but it may have also made me a little bias to the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Abortion, Body shaming, Cursing, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Infertility, and Police brutality

cheye13's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a beautifully crafted novel. Every element – stynax, diction, plotline, pacing – is perfect and wholly of the piece itself. Which is why it's practically painful to admit that I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. My disappointments can be entirely contributed to my incorrect expectations. It was much darker, heavier, more melancholy than I was necessarily in the mood for or like to read in general.

My critiques, if implimented, would have ruined the book. There was no thread of whimsy to brighten it, which was intentional. The story didn't really kick off until the mid-point, but the depth of the opening was integral. I preferred reading about Rebecca and Akila and wished Eric were less present, but there would be no Rebecca or Akila in Edie's life without Eric.

This novel portrays the tragedy of Edie's reality in the most beautiful way possible, but the portrayal is too faithful to reality for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Abortion, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, and Suicide

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Car accident, Cursing, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Rape, and Vomit

amelreads's review

dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

• 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: Abortion, Alcoholism, Blood, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Medical content, Death of parent, and Cursing

Moderate: Vomit, Police brutality, Violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Racism, Racial slurs, and Physical abuse

Minor: Body shaming, Gun violence, Animal death, and Cancer

Age gap relationship.

bella_cavicchi's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

LUSTER is short, but, man, does it pack a punch. The writing is like a dream -- deeply immersive, moments that blur the lines of reality, an ending that has you wonder: is life always this messy? This precarious? I really enjoyed it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content

Moderate: Miscarriage and Police brutality

Minor: Cursing and Drug use