Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

47 reviews

cryfest's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexism, Death of parent, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, and Abandonment

Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, and Homophobia

esknight89's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

3.75

I agree with other reviews saying that it was hard to get into the story. I remembered hitting the 50% mark in my audiobook and still waiting for the story to pick up the pace. I had been led to believe that this novel was in the same genre as Max Brooks's "Devolution" and "World War Z", a fantasy genre that takes place in the 'real world' and features both solved and unsolvable mysteries about the fantastic elements featured in the book. 

That was not what I found here. For the first few chapters I kept thinking the dragons were euphemisms for society's evils and that I had been misled. Eventually I accepted that they were actually real for the characters in the book. 

The story never went in the direction I wanted it to, which was somewhat disappointing and somewhat entertaining despite it.

The allegories that the dragons represented in various parts of the story was fairly heavy-handed, in my opinion. Sometimes it seemed like the author was bludgeoning me with them. 

Other reviews of this book have mentioned thinking that Alex, the main character, seemed rather slow to realize what was actually happening around her, however I didn't feel that way. Maybe it's because I'm autistic and/or trauma-informed but when someone is literally taught by their society to ignore & suppress thoughts on certain subjects, it's not much of a stretch to know that it can figuratively blind someone to the obvious. 

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It didn't wow me but it was entertaining. It was a good palate cleanser for me after I finished reading N.K. Jemison's Broken Earth Trilogy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Death of parent

Moderate: Death of parent and Death

ka_ke's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

Calling all feminists, this book is a must read. A carefully balance mix of fantasy and memories, When Women Were Dragons shares the stories and the struggles of those who fought for the rights we have (for now at least) so that we may preserve their memories and work towards a better future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Body shaming, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Sexism, Misogyny, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Classism, Dysphoria, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders

dealingwithdragons's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book. I especially appreciated that the moment I wondered "where are the trans dragons" was the moment the trans dragons showed up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Cancer, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Death

Moderate: Body horror

Minor: Gun violence

The mentions of guns are mainly in the context of "dragons are bulletproof". Body horror is entirely women turning into dragons.

bookworm247's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Grief, and Cancer

black_cat_iiix's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad slow-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: Abandonment and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Terminal illness, and Racism

Minor: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, and Medical content

larkken's review

I don't need additional reasons to rage at circumstances beyond my control, I'm already a woman living in the patriarchy. If we had managed to get to the "fun" part of this book before the half-way point, I could have put up better with the misery set-up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Sexism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse

helenferg's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Sexism, and Cancer

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Addiction, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship

solenekeleroux's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Abandonment, Cancer, Homophobia, Sexism, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

cgsunit's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

I felt angry while reading so much of the book, but the kind of anger that lights the fires of change. The kind of anger that comes from understanding the ignoring and the forgetting. I highly recommend the book, just be prepared to feel a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Sexism, Death of parent, and Misogyny

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Abandonment, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, and Emotional abuse