Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Luster by Raven Leilani

44 reviews

thatsssorachael's review

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage and Blood

Moderate: Death of parent, Racial slurs, Infidelity, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Abortion, Racism, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, and Police brutality

lulubelle's review

dark emotional reflective tense 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? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Miscarriage

brotestantethic's review

reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

This was very different than what I was expecting. There’s a lot that’s great to pull from here—the deep dives into power dynamics, the evaluation of duty to others, etc.—but i just did not like how this was written. Some parts read juvenile and others expand into sprawling paragraphs. Too much happens and is brushed over too quickly for the sake of piling examples and metaphors for imbalance of power. Overall this novel was not necessarily entertaining but i do believe will leave a lasting impact. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Violence

taylorsevalia's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Racism, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Gun violence, Sexual content, Grief, Racial slurs, Medical content, and Stalking

taviarz's review

emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Racism, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Abortion

heisiiri's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I have mixed feelings about this one. I enjoyed a lot of the themes and social commentary, but didn't find the story super compelling. Sometimes I was in awe of a beautifully written scene, sometimes the writing style felt like it just wasn't for me.

I think my main issue with this book was that it's one of those books that are quite depressing and grim, yet it still doesn't hit the feels enough. Like this isn't the kind of book I would cry over. The main character and narrator Edie seems to hold a certain emotional distance to everything that happens in her life, which can be an interesting character trait, but sometimes it also means that the scenes don't really impact the emotions of the reader either. It's a style choice that can really work for some readers, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

The best parts of this book are definitely the relationships between the female characters. I enjoyed the complexity and depth of Akila and Edie's relationship, and some of the scenes between Edie and Rebecca were great as well.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Police brutality, and Racism

Minor: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Classism, Eating disorder, Misogyny, and Suicide

sweetteaandbooks's review

challenging emotional reflective tense 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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse and Racism

pasearlibros's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Abortion

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Eating disorder

ahopper7's review

challenging dark emotional sad 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

The book wasn’t working for me, but once I switched to the audiobook, I was able to get into the story more. The characters are not likeable, but I gather that was on purpose. The story is dark, but the way the author handled how trauma shows up in our lives and vulnerability of discovering yourself including your worth was beautiful. Overall, the book just wasn’t for me, but I appreciate what the author was doing with the story. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Abortion, Blood, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Police brutality, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy

Minor: Death of parent and Suicidal thoughts

sarafinley's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Police brutality, and Racism

Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, Abortion, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, and Death of parent