Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Cleópatra e Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

729 reviews

emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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dark emotional tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A reflective account of all stages of a relationship, and how each one triggers the formations of others. 

I found the first half of this quite slow and difficult to relate to the characters. The majority of them would make impulsive and detrimental decisions. As they learnt through these mistakes, I found the pace a little quicker and easier to read through. 

The turning point that kept me going with this book was the introduction of Eleanor and Santiago. I felt the constant narration for Cleo and Frank just led me feeling no further in the narrative as I had for a previous chapter. Eleanor and Santiago had this drive, this light, to the pages that made me realise that these fractured characters had some chance at redemption. The novel as a whole felt like a sullied mix of greys, blues and greens showcasing the grief and worrying spills of a failing marriage. Characters like Eleanor and Santiago were imperative catalysts to the novel that cut through these murky tones. I would've given up reading if they hadn't been added to the story.

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dark tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

If I hadn't had this on my 'must-read in 2025' list that was glued into my reading journal, this would have been a DNF. I regret my compulsion to be a completionist. I feel ashamed for having even skimmed it; it was such an affront to my usual reading taste and content preference. I found some parts to be gratuitously graphic, empty, offensive, and even bigoted. I'm usually all for a darker premise with flawed characters, but these characters felt hollow with no redeeming qualities. 

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dark emotional funny sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Glad I persevered to the end, but there were several chunks of this one that I straight-up hated. Not to say the writing was bad, or the story not worth reading, it was just extremely unpleasant. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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