Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Reader, I Murdered Him by Betsy Cornwell

4 reviews

uncreativeoops's review

adventurous emotional inspiring 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? No

4.0

This is a sort of Jane Eyre-retelling/sequel from Adèle's (Rochester's daughter) point of view which was a nice surprise. I always love retellings and reexaminations of characters offering a different perspective on the original plot. Some of the character's behaviour didn't fit with my reading of Jane Eyre, but it was an interesting interpretation and definitely worth for the story the author wanted to tell (though if you consider Jane Eyre to be the greatest romance of all time this is probably not the book for you. I've always loved it for Jane's determination and less for Rochester, which made the plot in this one much more logical). There's a lot of female solidarity and rightful anger, sometimes to the point of cheesiness, and I felt some of the conflicts were too easily resolved. A few more chapters wouldn't have been a bad idea, giving the problems more time to unfold and allowing the side characters to be more complex; some of them seemed to be not much more than plot devices whose motivation were only hinted at but could have been interesting. The novel wants to tell of so many lives that the protagonist encounters and somehow never finds the space to do so satisfactorily. On the other hand, this plus the very nice and flowing writing means that it's the perfect novel to be finished in one rainy day.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Abandonment, and Death of parent

Moderate: Incest, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Sexism, Classism, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Physical abuse

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Colonisation

tlholmes's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, Violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Classism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and Incest

katiemack's review

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

3.0

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What a compelling premise--a queer romance focused on a teen vigilante who also happens to be the daughter of Mr. Rochester of Jane Eyre fame? Sign me up!

Reader, I could have done without the Jane Eyre aspect. Betsy Cornwell mentions the characters so many times that it detracts from the story. I wish there had been even more focus on Adele and her experience; for a story about a "Villainess" I wanted more, well, actual revenge on terrible men besides what's briefly mentioned. I did enjoy the romance, though, and I'd love to see how Nan and Adele's adventures play out in the future.

If you love revenge stories and alternative classics, give this a try. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Murder

alannadoucette8's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Child abuse, Classism, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Sexism