Reviews tagging 'Abortion'

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

23 reviews

brokenbodybitch's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this book; I think it was a very interesting take on the sleeping beauty story and I liked how the disability rep was sprinkled into the story. This may have been pretty short but I love the amount of detail added, it was very well developed for how short it is, and yes your base knowledge of fairy tales is slightly required but it is still explained just the right amount to refresh your memory. This retelling talks about other retellings which I really liked [very multiverse and it was fun], and I specifically liked how the differences between versions and how they were talked about; they were used to put other things in context and different lessons were pulled from the stories to add to the 'current' plot line. I really liked the disability rep in this book because yes she is independent or whatever but she knows her body limits her and I liked how the limits were touched on (to an extent). There is a magical cure in the end of this book BUT I personally don't think it was completely horrible, I think it was handled respectfully for the most part but it is something to be wary of going into it.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Medical content, Terminal illness, Grief, Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Death

Moderate: Abortion, Rape, Sexual assault, and Self harm

Minor: Violence

wlreed312's review against another edition

hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

I'm a sucker for fairytale retellings, and I loved both of Harrow's novels, so I was super excited for this Sleeping Beauty retelling, even though it's not one of my favorite stories. I didn't love it as much as I thought I would, but once Zinnia and Primrose meet the evil fairy, I thought it really hit its stride. A fun novella, and I loved the way the artwork was used. (It's also possible I'm judging it unfairly against The Sleeper and the Spindle, written by Neil Gaiman with artwork by Chris Riddell, which is one of my absolute favorites. This made me want to immediately re-read that)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Terminal illness

Minor: Sexual assault and Abortion

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Blood, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Alcohol, and Chronic illness

abby23's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.75

Everyone wants to write fairy tale multiverse but Alix Harrow actually did it 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness and Chronic illness

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape

panthalassa's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Cursing, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Self harm, Chronic illness, Blood, Confinement, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Abortion

emilypete17's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness and Chronic illness

Moderate: Sexual violence, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Medical trauma

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Alcohol, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, Violence, Pregnancy, Abortion, and Cursing

Brief allusions to sexual assaults(off page). Chronically/terminally ill main character.

achay91's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape and Abortion

ok7a's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Misogyny, and Sexism

Minor: Sexual harassment, Rape, and Abortion

bandysbooks's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

I always find novellas difficult to rate. This one was enjoyable. The plot was a very unique take on sleeping beauty, but I found myself wishing it was longer. I think the plot could’ve been expanded significantly and the characters explored more in depth. That said, it was one of the more enjoyable novellas that I’ve read.  

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Content Warnings

Minor: Violence, Sexual assault, and Abortion

The trigger warnings are in regard to allusion. It’s never directly mentioned, but heavily implied.

forthesanityof1's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

A nice, quick read. The author uses good impact writing when necessary even if the narrative tone was not my personal favorite. Intriguing plot, and I'm glad the author didn't pull a "this was all a coma-induced dream" sequence on us (@ Libba Bray I'm still salty). The end did feel a little magical, but I think that was the point, and the main conflict didn't really go away. I really enjoyed the incorporation of the fairy tales and the original sleeping beauty. I liked the messages that came through from that and the way they pulled through the rest of the novella. Areas for improvement: some of the parenthesis info could have been cut along with the real-world dumping details (I personally don't like real-world references because they break the narrative for me), and some minor details could have been fleshed out a bit instead. Overall pretty good though, just not my personal favorite.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Abortion, Blood, Grief, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness