Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Odyssey by Lara Williams

8 reviews

jakeryave's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, and Alcohol

Minor: Sexual content

grunbean's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

3.0

It’s an interesting read for sure. I had no trouble engaging with it, and I found the darkness and humour I was expecting in parts. For me, it feels like it’s missing something to really pull it together. The ending was disappointing. Though it is a fun and eerie read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

froggybooks's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

UGH THIS BOOK <333

it was such a weird little book. cultish, late stage capitalism (a cult in itself), unlovable/unreliable/unstable MC. incredible. 

mainly vibes over plot but still it was an amazing little book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Infertility and Pregnancy

Minor: Abandonment

artemisg's review

challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.0

Girl what

Hmmm. I can’t tell if this book was genuinely just average or if I wasn’t in the mood for reading about a disaffected, unlikeable woman who does some insane things because she has unmedicated depression and probably an array of other mental illnesses. That’s what this book is btw. 

 

This book follows Ingrid (said disaffected woman) as she starts a cult-like mentorship program on the cult-like cruise ship she has been working on for the past five years. This mentorship program is led by the CEO and insane man Keith (who loves Japanese culture a little too much, in my opinion) and is genuinely insane. But, Ingrid is also insane, so it works well for her. Ingrid is unlikable to me (the reader), and other characters in the book, and some of her thought processes and actions genuinely grossed me out, so good work there. 

 

Williams does not shy away from immoral acts or the occasional grossness of humanity, but she does shy away from making sense (or maybe I’m stupid), and Ingrid’s past trauma was disappointing, to say the least (Joss Whedon moment ig). The prose in this book was wonderfully, beautifully written, but it was not a quirky or mischievous read like I expected, nor was it funny. Overall, this book is a bit of a thinker, a bit confronting, and a bit gross, and the ending is left entirely up to interpretation, which I love. 

 

This is not to say I didn’t like this book, I did genuinely enjoy reading it, but I’ve just read better books and better books with similar vibes and themes. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

mollyolloxenfree25's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, and Vomit

lizzie_r's review

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Confinement, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual content and Religious bigotry

Minor: Infertility, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

adriennne's review

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Medical content

kateflood's review

4.5

 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an e-copy in exchange for an honest review. 

 

This book was eerie and uncomfortable and dream-like and I think I loved it. We follow the unreliable narration of Ingrid, who has been aboard the WA cruise ship for 5 years, through the mundanities and horrors of her life on board, and the impacts of the mysterious new program she undertakes led by the ship’s captain. I thought this was a great critique of modern capitalism and it left me feeling nihilistic but not necessarily in a bad way. A lot of the questions this book leaves you with remain unanswered at the end which I can definitely imagine some people would find frustrating, but personally I didn’t mind this as it seemed quite fitting for such a surreal story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Vomit

Moderate: Body horror, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infertility