Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen

10 reviews

amanda_reads89's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore, Confinement, Murder, and Death

Minor: Alcohol, Addiction, Pregnancy, Classism, Sexism, and War

easefcik's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

I had mixed feelings when I first started this novel. I worried that I’d tarnish my lovely Nutcracker memories with dark associations of unlikeable characters. Fortunately , I was surprised to find immense growth in the characters and a beautiful, if sometimes horrifying, story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Body horror, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Infertility

Minor: Incest

sustainably_lucia's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

This is much darker than I anticipated, bordering on horror. I did not enjoy it. The characters are multifaceted but not deep. I didn’t like or care about any of them. I lost interest about halfway through and finished it only out of curiosity. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Alcohol, Gore, Death, and Classism

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

vj_thompson's review against another edition

The beginning is what got me. It was hard to read and get through. The story in the beginning is straight up depressing. I wanted it to get to the plot a lot quicker.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol

Moderate: Pregnancy, Bullying, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Blood and Sexual content

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

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

gondorgirl's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Gaslighting, Sexism, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Misogyny, Death, Drug use, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Infidelity, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

aliteraryescape's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Blood

vicwaltz's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

2.75

I really wanted to love this. I love the zaniness of the nutcracker and the whimsy of fairy tales in general.  I love a tale of sisters and family and all that but this.... I think this book didn't know what it wanted to be.  It took on so many different plots but didn't really deliver on any of them for me.  In the author's note at the end the author implied this book was hard for her to write and I could feel that throughout.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Death

Moderate: Infidelity and Alcohol