Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

81 reviews

pacifickat's review against another edition

Wasn't into the main character, didn't like the prose, thought I would love this series but felt let down (overhyped)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Torture, Confinement, Child abuse, and Physical abuse

rufaroz's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

0.25

I'm not sure why it's acceptable here for a victim of abuse to fall in love with their lifelong abuser just because the abuser says "but I did it because I live you!" Is it acceptable because both characters are women? If the abuser had been a man instead, the book would have been excoriated. It's ghastly regardless of their genders, and I totally fail to comprehend the love this book gets.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse

kodi_rae's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.0

I’ve often heard this book summed up as “lesbian space necromancers” and I love how it gets to the point but leaves so much to the imagination. This was a really fun and unique read. The world building is deep and the reader gets dropped right into the action, leaving a lot to be leaned and figured out as you go. Because of that, it took me a bit of time to feel like I really understood what was going on. I read a physical copy of the book which had a list of the houses and all the cast of characters that I referenced constantly and was very helpful. The back had a glossary and also descriptions for how to pronounce some of the names. I *almost* wish I had read it first but I might have still felt a little lost so maybe it wouldn’t have helped much anyway.

I think my one critique is that it moved so fast that the way the relationship between the two main characters fluctuates over time did not feel totally believable to me. But I will still read the other books in the series because it was so interesting and fun. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Gore, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Child death, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Cursing

amyteurhour's review

Content warning: violence/gore, enslavement, emotional and physical abuse, hints at unequal power dynamic re: romantic relationships

Even after getting through 3 hours of the audiobook, I was only 18% of the way through and could not see myself enjoying the next 13+ hours left. The beginning drops you into the story with little explanation or context, just that Gideon has been trapped in this prison/house her whole life and she is attempting her, what she hopes to be, final attempt at escape. She gets beaten and tricked into staying by the ruler of the house, Harrow, and then coerced into participating in a scheme with Harrow.

I ultimately stopped because I got the feeling that Gideon and Harrow would be the romantic arc that's mentioned in the synopsis, and honestly I'm not here for it. Harrow's treatment of Gideon is gross and cruel, and I just don't see myself rooting for/being satisfied with a storyline where they are in a relationship.

Stopped at Act 2 - Chapter 9 (3:04:15)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Slavery

tobibi's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

This really reinvigorated my reading mood. It took a bit to build up, but the world building is presented very well (little to no infodumps) and the characters are introduced slowly, so you get a general feel for them throughout the book. The horror elements are good, though a bit less striking than I thought they would be, but that's likely due to our POV (Gideon). I enjoyed seeing the back and forth in Griddlehawk's relationship progression, and the ending was heartbreakingly good. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.

favorite lines

 

"... Where I'm going, I promise to piss fidelity all the livelong day. I have lots of fealty in me. I fealt the Emperor with every bone in my body. I fealt *hard*." (p. 43)

 

 

"With the proper motivation, Griddle could wield two swords in each hand and one in her mouth. While we were developing common sense, she studied the blade." (p. 53)

 

 

"Harrow said, "No."
"I want to go," said Gideon.
"This sounds impossibly vapid."
"I want to eat a dessert."" (p. 167)

 

 

Harrow's voice, almost a whisper: "A light, Nav."
"What?"
"You *did* bring a torch."
"This is a service I was unaware I was meant to provide," said Gideon. (p. 204)

 

 

... "Thoughts?"
Gideon said, "Did you know that if you put the first three letters of your last name with the first three letters of your first name, you get 'Sex Pal'?" (p. 274)

 

 

"Ask me how I am and I'll scream," she said.
"How are you," said Camilla, who was a pill.
"I see you calling my bluff and I resent it," said Gideon... (p. 305)

 

 

Once Gideon would have loved to hear Corona talk to her with that low, breathy intensity, maybe saying "Your biceps... they're eleven out of ten," but right now she did not want anyone to talk to her at all. (p. 327)

 

 

"... Look, Nav. You ratted out your childhood nemesis to get her in trouble. You didn't kill her parents, and she shouldn't hate you like you did, and *you* shouldn't hate you like you did."
He was peering at her through his spectacles. "Hey," she objected lamely, "I never said I hated myself."
"Evidence," he said, "outweighs testimony." (p. 336)

 

 

... "I'm an abomination. The whole universe ought to scream whenever my feet touch the ground. My parents committed a necromantic sin that we ought to have been torpedoed into hte centre of Dominicus for. If any of the other Houses knew of what we'd done they would destroy us from orbit without a second's thought. i am a *war crime*." (p. 353)

 

 

"... I made myself watch, when my parents -- I could not do the slightest thing my House expected of me. Not even then. You're not the only one who couldn't die." (p. 355)

 

 

... "You apologize to me now? You say that you're sorry when I have spent my life destroying you? You are my whipping girl! I hurt you because it was a relief! I exist because my parents killed everyone and relegated you to a life of abject misery, and they would have killed you too and not given a second's goddamned thought! I have spent your life trying to make you regret that you weren't dead, all because -- I regretted I wasn't! I ate you alive, and you have the temerity to tell me that *you're sorry*?" (p. 356)

 

 

"Hm," said Camilla neutrally, and Gideon knew immediately that she organized Palamedes's and her socks by color and genre. (p. 365)

 

 

... She didn't need a very long look to tell that Dyas was dead. For one thing, her skeleton and her body had apparently tried to divorce. (p. 372)

 

 

"She took Babs," she said, which seemed fair enough.
But then Corona started crying again, big tears leaking out of her eyes, her voice thick with misery and self-pity. "And who even cares about Babs? Babs! She could have taken *me*." (p. 394)

 

 

Harrow said, with some difficulty. "I cannot conceive of a universe without you in it."
"Yes, you can, it's just less great and less hot," said Gideon." (p. 437)

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Gore, Grief, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Murder, Classism, Death, Torture, Cursing, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Slavery, and Abandonment

iane_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, Murder, Slavery, Torture, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Death, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, and Child death

Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Mental illness, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Hate crime, Miscarriage, Dementia, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Pandemic/Epidemic, and War

mngwa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

This book took me a while to get into. I knew the writing was good but it didn't click. I got myself to a place where I just sat down and finished it and I'm really happy I did. The ending was so lovely. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Dysphoria, Bullying, Death of parent, Suicide, Confinement, Child death, Grief, Murder, and Body horror

jillian8's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense medium-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

Love love love. Gets even better after you read the second one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Gore, Toxic friendship, Violence, Body horror, Child death, and Suicide

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Physical abuse

Minor: Genocide, Cannibalism, and Child abuse

lmaloney's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Vomit, Torture, Murder, and Mental illness

Moderate: Abandonment, War, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Child death

themiscyra_anna's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Vomit, Body horror, Child abuse, War, Violence, Torture, Death of parent, Murder, Child death, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Slavery, Physical abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death