Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Carmilla - Audible Performance by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

65 reviews

mreadsbooks's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child death, Murder

Minor: Suicide, Death of parent, Lesbophobia

lawphenix's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Ableism

mxine_'s review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious relaxing sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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just did 20 lines of vampire yuri cocaine

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Death, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Murder, Classism

Minor: Suicide, Suicide attempt

lucywestenra's review against another edition

1.0

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Very interesting…besides the fact that I did not enjoy this novella very much. I gave it one star because I didn’t enjoy it not because I think it’s a bad novella. Now I truly understand the reason people associate the vampire with lesbianism. Yes I put homophobia in the trigger warnings because of this…it’s triggering as hell. This was downright cruel if we are to assume that this is how the author felt about lesbians. I can say whatever I want about this author because he has been dead as a door nail for a loooong time and he’ll never know. I think he’s a lil b!tch. I prefer Bram Stoker, all day every day. I was hoping I would enjoy this but it just fell so flat— not simply for the ‘symbolic upset’ but for the storytelling and language being very unimpressive. I’ll never see the word “languid” and not think of this novella though. Here’s a few notes I wrote while reading it: -WHY ARE WE DEMONIZING SUICIDE (literally DEMONIZING HAHAHA)-THE IRISHMEN AND THEIR VAMPIRE HIJINKS???? -NOT FEELING AS MUCH DREAD OR WONDER AS I FELT WHILE READING DRACULA -FAV SCENE IS BLOOD IS DESCRIBED AS BEING ON CARMILLA FROM HER CHIN TO HER TOE (chapter 13, i think?) -VERY QUOTABLE BUT VERY ONE DIMENSIONAL-“I HAVE NEVER HAD A FRIEND, SHALL I HAVE ONE NOW?” AW!! -(chapter 3,I think)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail

linblythe_pub22's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death

Minor: Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry

nemonade's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood

Moderate: Ableism, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Murder, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Classism

Minor: Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic

emptybookspace's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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I wanted to read this one for a while now, and because I recently received a copy, I finally could.

While I did not particularly like any of the characters, I did enjoy the development of Laura and Carmilla's dynamic, the prose, the descriptions, and the feeling of suspense. Now I understand why Carmilla is such a groundbreaking work.

The only real complaint I have is that I expected something more complex when it comes to wrapping up the story. For example, more about Baron Vordenburg, whose appearance was really underwhelming, or for the final clash with Carmilla to be something bigger, something more striking and intense.

However, those aspects did not make me enjoy the novella any less. It was predictable and formulaic, as a lot of Gothic tales are, but I still found it entertaining.

Also, I have to say, I love the cover of the edition I was gifted, as well as the chosen fonts. Very pretty.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Stalking, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Classism

the_cheerful_necromancer's review against another edition

3.75

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

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Honestly, complaining about pacing problems or plot macguffins in a horror story this short and this old would be redundant. I enjoyed it a lot. I would not survive a homoerotic codependent friendship with a beautiful lesbian vampire and I am okay with that.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship

Honestly all the triggers in this book are EXTREMELY mild in my opinion (the time period after all wasn't especially keen on graphic gore and psychological violence). Keep in mind that this book, having been written SO long ago, is dismissive and even very slightly hostile towards the homoerotic female friendship at its centre, but frankly it is SO mild even then. This book is a stiff gothic vampire story, it is not especially upsetting to the modern audience. Main character's mother is dead, it is brushed over excessively briefly.

flowerkitties's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Murder

harpoonholly's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Read by Mary-Anne Dickinson. She voiced Carmilla and Laura very well and I even appreciated the hunchback's voice. The rest blended together, but the textual voices could be somewhat difficult to tell apart, too.

It's a classic for a reason and I find Carmilla to be slightly more frightening than even Dracula.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Racism, Antisemitism