Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

De Boekbinder by Bridget Collins

103 reviews

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual assault, Body horror, Abandonment, Death, and Classism

prashiie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

“We take memories and bind them. Whatever people can’t bear to remember. Whatever they can’t live with. We take those memories and put them where they can’t do any more harm. That’s all books are.”
I have mixed feelings about this book. While I really love the (queer) characters, the general outline and the uniqueness of the story, I also think it did not deliver its full potential. This book could have been so much more. Getting into the story was especially troublesome as the writing really threw me off. The detailed description of the surroundings part one almost felt cinematic. The writing in parts two and three on the other hand was more pleasant. 

Also the blurb is somewhat misleading. It comes across as if Emmett is already an apprentice and has bound many people and one day he finds his own volume. But in fact at the beginning of the story he is forced to take the apprenticeship and for a long time he has no idea how binding works. And he does not find his own book in his mentor’s vault. Someone taunts him with his book when he goes to his first binding.

I would have loved to see what happens to our main characters! I was so invested in their love story, it felt like an abrupt ending. And I wish Seredith had a bigger role in this story, she really was my favourite character and the noblest of all!
 

"To have another person’s memory entrusted to you… To take the deepest, darkest part away from them and keep it safe, forever. To honour it, to make it beautiful, even though no one will ever see it. To guard it with your own life."
Although the majority of people loathed binders, she didn't let that influence her character. She stayed true to her profession until the end.

“There was sympathy in her face, as if I could tell her everything and she would understand.”
It is with Seredith that Emmett finds a real home. He carries her sympathy, morality and loyality while her own son, de Havilland, chooses a different path.

It's a pity that the point of view changes after Emmett goes to his first binding and gets his memories back. It would have been interesting to see how he gets to know his own powers and proceeds to become a fine binder. For example, the voice that he uses to curse the people that threatened to burn down Seredith's bindery with Seredith in it? This never gets mentioned again in the story.

 
The story also goes to show how greed and power can destroy any noble art.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Kidnapping, Rape, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, and Homophobia

Moderate: Incest, Infidelity, Alcohol, Outing, Violence, Vomit, and Sexual assault

Minor: Murder

therukat's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Suicide, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Abortion, Animal death, and Rape

Moderate: Infidelity, Biphobia, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Dementia, Outing, Emotional abuse, Blood, Excrement, and Pedophilia

A dog dies

maggiethejuggler's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Rape, Homophobia, and Animal death

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Child death, and Murder

xbernadette's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Vomit, Homophobia, Infidelity, Grief, Classism, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, Alcohol, Incest, Blood, Hate crime, Animal death, Vomit, Death, Sexual harassment, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, and Adult/minor relationship

geka's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

Het verhaal sleept zich traag voort en met de personages had ik geen klik. Ook zijn de dialogen langdradig. Worldbuilding was wel leuk, alhoewel er heel veel details werden verteld, wat je uit het verhaal trok. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Physical abuse

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty

archkyrology's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

"Am I more than you bargained for yet" -Fall Out Boy

In an attempt to play around with the memory wiping aspect to create a mystery, it just becomes confusing. The first half of the book is slow, relaxed, and curious enough to keep you reading. The second half was very fast and genuinely upsetting almost the entire time. I wish a lot of aspects had been done differently. Also a very cliffhanger ending for a book that doesn't have a sequel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Suicide, Rape, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Excrement, Incest, and Ableism

juniperbranches's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

I came *this* close to giving up on this one around page 70. I am so incredibly glad I pulled through.

In Emmet Farmer’s world, life on the family farm, life is filled with hard work and small joys. One day he falls sick and can no longer do farm work, and is claimed by the local Book Binder as her apprentice. 

When a desperate young woman comes to them and begs to be rid of the memories of her fathers abuse, Emmet soon learns that books are used to bind and seal terrible memories away. A book binder takes away the painful memory, allowing the person to continue their lives unscathed. Unfortunately, the peace that the book binding process is supposed to bring is a process that is abused by powerful people to continue to perpetuate harm against their unknowing victims again and again. 

This book spins a beautiful and touching queer romance while weaving in a storyline that reads like a Gothic conversion camp narrative. I also think this is the hands down best romance I’ve ever read in a novel. Emmet and Lucian are going to be with me for a long  time

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting and Homophobia

Moderate: Suicide, Rape, and Incest

Minor: Animal death and Animal cruelty

uparrowhead's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This book was definitely a challenging read for me, weaved in the huge emotional plot of the story. It does have a hopeful ending, but there is a lot of darkness and pain that you'd need to get through first. I found it rewarding, however, and a very interesting read that touches on a few issues that are faced both now and throughout history.

Many of the reviews I've read call the book slow-placed. With that, I have to agree. However, I think that the pacing of the book fits the content and story that it tells quite well. At certain points, however, like the climax of the story, I can understand how it was annoying and boring to read through, but I mostly didn't mind it.

Something that I have to appalude Bridget Collins for is her use of language and description. Many of the settings of the book were written out in a way that easily sucked me right into the novel, and the writing in the book was, overall, of high quality.

I really enjoyed the premise of the novel; the idea that you could take someone's memories and bind them into a book that they will forget forever. It gave way and allowed the book to explore darker concepts of society, and made the story much more engaging to read through.

I do believe that certain parts of the story weren't developed as much as they could have been,

with the death of Seredith, which seemed to stop effecting Emmett as soon as the book moved into Part Two and Three, and the ending which (although heartwarming) left some questions opened and unanswered in the story.

However, I liked how the majority of the plot played out and, despite times where I wanted to throw this book across the room (which I didn't do, courtesy to it's beautiful cover), I was left satisfied and happy in the long-term of the book.

WARNING : The book does change its POVs throughout Part One, Two, and Three of the story. I personally liked how it was executed, but I know it is not for everyone, and a lot of reviews I've read on here say that it was done poorly and left readers confused.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Outing, Rape, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual harassment, and Suicide

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

aamina's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Death, Vomit, Homophobia, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Murder, Vomit, Alcohol, Abortion, and Kidnapping