Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen

6 reviews

lateromantic's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

2.0

 

This was an interesting metaphor, but badly executed: the setting was shoehorned in (and, as a romanticist, I do not appreciate the Hoffmann or Dumas erasure), the characters and their actions boring, the references to the real world jarring and eye-rolling. Every time I started to get into it something would bounce me out of it. I wasn't a fan of the prose, I found the turn of phrase clunky, and the structure was strange - was it going for thriller? Why did it run on so long? Also, it was 'edgy', which I find incredibly boring. 

 

Not without merit, just not my kind of thing - perhaps if you want more 'dark faerie' content after reading ACOTAR, or want a book that has vibes of the first Wonder Woman film, you'll like it, but I found both of those put together by a better craftsperson than this. 

 

(Sorry, I don't like to write mean reviews, but I have nothing nice to say about this beyond 'nice idea' and that I will inevitably read another Nutcracker book next Christmas.)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Miscarriage, Classism, Confinement, Abortion, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Torture, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Sexism, and Toxic friendship

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Murder, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Mental illness, Dysphoria, Grief, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Body shaming, Classism, and Torture

kelseyr713's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

I had high expectations for this because I love what I’ve read by the author before, but it gets repetitive and many questions aren’t ever answered. Great atmosphere though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Child death, Alcoholism, Violence, Misogyny, Body horror, Alcohol, Classism, Drug use, and Child abuse

Moderate: Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Stalking

Minor: War, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Sexual content

maregred's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-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? N/A

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Infidelity

Moderate: Mental illness, Body shaming, Confinement, Violence, Classism, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Misogyny, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Blood, War, Pregnancy, and Death

chasingpages1's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Child death, Classism, Confinement, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Infidelity, Stalking, Alcohol, Body horror, Kidnapping, Torture, Bullying, and Grief

Minor: Addiction, Sexual content, Violence, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Incest, War, Infertility, Gaslighting, and Pregnancy

that_person_logan's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. I read it in two sittings in less than 24 hours, which says a lot. I enjoyed the first half way more than the second half, which felt rushed and jolting in its pacing. I really enjoyed the eerie descriptions of the Kingdom of Sweets and wish there had been more of that. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the following things:
- Family Drama
- Historical books
- Fairytale inspired
- Winter Horror
- Lush Descriptions
- How classics are written 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Murder, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Death, Sexism, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Drug use, and Drug abuse