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Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'
Angelika Frankenstein Makes her Match: Sexy and quirky - the unmissable read from the author of TikTok-hit The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
14 reviews
necro_mance's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
If you're looking for some dumb yearning, it's got that. If you're looking for a crumb if historical accuracy, passable knowledge of the Frankenstein the novel, or something free of fan fiction tropes, this isn't it.
There's so many characters in this book that don't need to be there. And there's integal characters from the book not brought up at all which is odd. Henry Clerval isn't in this or at all replicated. Angelika does serve as an intellectual companion to Victor but not a moral counter point at all. It's just an odd choice.
And to make Victor Frankenstien go from prudish obsessive to sex crazed bon vivant is also a choice.
The yearning and spice are not good enough to overcome this if you are a Frankenstein fan. I would have rated higher if the novel just took the idea of "making a Frankenstein" and that was it's only connection to the novel.
The overwrought wink at the end of the housekeeper's niece named Mary who is a writer coming to visit. It was about 5 pages too long. It's not clever when it gets spelled out completely. Also the idea that Mary Shelley, daughter of feminist essayist Mary Wollencraft would write out the woman who reincarnated people, especially in a real novel that has heavy feminist overtones of men attempting to eliminate women from the creation of life is a choice.
There's so many characters in this book that don't need to be there. And there's integal characters from the book not brought up at all which is odd. Henry Clerval isn't in this or at all replicated. Angelika does serve as an intellectual companion to Victor but not a moral counter point at all. It's just an odd choice.
And to make Victor Frankenstien go from prudish obsessive to sex crazed bon vivant is also a choice.
The yearning and spice are not good enough to overcome this if you are a Frankenstein fan. I would have rated higher if the novel just took the idea of "making a Frankenstein" and that was it's only connection to the novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Sexual assault
seilahuh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i'll keep it short. i loved this book. but i'm at the point of seeing how easily reviews can warp a book. like it's different coming at it with a familiarity with other high rated popular "romances", which rely upon the fmc being this weak, fawning, ultimately coerced object for desire to be exerted upon, to seeing angelika headstrong and capable mostly (the story clarifies what this means), intelligent and retaining her choice so much no man satisfied her but the one she would find in her morose profession. this was fresh for me, it was what i hadn't expected, nor really knew i needed to see written just like this.
and it's probably a faux pas to address reviews in my review but (would that be honest to me) i cannot believe how little people actually engaged with the story...over engaging pop, lib. (not genuine; androphilic, misogynistic) feminism. coming from that angle too of knowing quite more about that topic and having a stance more concrete than "it hurts men's feelings to gesture to smaller dicks being less satisfying for an individual woman," in comparison to the harrowing reality of real life misogyny being more than feelings. and being a more stringent (rad) feminist type myself, it's interesting to see how shallow concepts can rewrite entire material. i would've thought the story was so much worse if i had went in off these elements.
it's odd to me that a book where the woman as a contrast to so much popular material takes action, and is desiring and knows what she wants even despite virginal status, is not fragile and fawning, and is not just an object for an mmc to run over and rape, and carves out respect and stitches it even into his very skin and the fabric of his soul. . .would come off this unfavorable to women who have rated actual rape stories quite highly. even among a "dark" romance crew, i would think this would maybe resonate. but maybe it's that really foundationally, the elements that make that genre and type of story favorable make the reading experience incompatible here, because nothing here is actually forced no matter what reviews might say. that's not the actual story, not at all.
i don't believe angelika is unlikable, i have read quite unlikable characters. i think she's just not been given a chance for not being so docile and being sure of herself in many places, and there's a refusal to actually see the landscape that has made her vain in spite, and that makes this story. that makes william love her, and choose such a fiercesome woman who loves him just as equally, fairly, beautifully. it's really so sweet, i wish people, women, other mages would give themselves a chance for sweeter love without patriarchal force or abuse that would make them reject this story so vehemently for those differences.
and it's probably a faux pas to address reviews in my review but (would that be honest to me) i cannot believe how little people actually engaged with the story...over engaging pop, lib. (not genuine; androphilic, misogynistic) feminism. coming from that angle too of knowing quite more about that topic and having a stance more concrete than "it hurts men's feelings to gesture to smaller dicks being less satisfying for an individual woman," in comparison to the harrowing reality of real life misogyny being more than feelings. and being a more stringent (rad) feminist type myself, it's interesting to see how shallow concepts can rewrite entire material. i would've thought the story was so much worse if i had went in off these elements.
it's odd to me that a book where the woman as a contrast to so much popular material takes action, and is desiring and knows what she wants even despite virginal status, is not fragile and fawning, and is not just an object for an mmc to run over and rape, and carves out respect and stitches it even into his very skin and the fabric of his soul. . .would come off this unfavorable to women who have rated actual rape stories quite highly. even among a "dark" romance crew, i would think this would maybe resonate. but maybe it's that really foundationally, the elements that make that genre and type of story favorable make the reading experience incompatible here, because nothing here is actually forced no matter what reviews might say. that's not the actual story, not at all.
i don't believe angelika is unlikable, i have read quite unlikable characters. i think she's just not been given a chance for not being so docile and being sure of herself in many places, and there's a refusal to actually see the landscape that has made her vain in spite, and that makes this story. that makes william love her, and choose such a fiercesome woman who loves him just as equally, fairly, beautifully. it's really so sweet, i wish people, women, other mages would give themselves a chance for sweeter love without patriarchal force or abuse that would make them reject this story so vehemently for those differences.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
the ethics of reanimation being mixed with love are actually broached, and i think engaging with this question most of all makes the experience more pleasant or interesting, than thinking "if a man wrote this" or about this story if it were flipped to be reanimated woman to man creator. we already have that and it's awful, cause it's not comparable.natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
4.0
Quite possibly the strangest, most whimsical historical Rom-Com I’ve ever read, I loved every second of it!
Definitely different from Sally Thorn’s other work but if you love a quirky, eccentric and confident FMCs then you’ll absolutely love Angelika. The romance was actually rather sweet (once you get past the whole raising a man from the dead after shopping for body parts at the morgue), I also loved the way consent was handled when it came to their relationship —this might just be my all time fave reimagining of Frankenstein.
It’s is fairly lighthearted but given subject material, I’d still suggest checking TW/CWs
Definitely different from Sally Thorn’s other work but if you love a quirky, eccentric and confident FMCs then you’ll absolutely love Angelika. The romance was actually rather sweet (once you get past the whole raising a man from the dead after shopping for body parts at the morgue), I also loved the way consent was handled when it came to their relationship —this might just be my all time fave reimagining of Frankenstein.
It’s is fairly lighthearted but given subject material, I’d still suggest checking TW/CWs
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Death, and Body horror
Moderate: Blood, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual assault and Death of parent
katharina90's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
Uncomfortable and cringey. Not just problematic but also poorly written with unlikeable characters and terrible dialogue. I came very close to DNF'ing but I'm stubborn.
Can't for the life of me figure out how any of this got approved, but I suspect it's yet another novel where readers are just not bothered by sexual violence and breeches of consent as long as they're being committed by a female character. Disturbing.
Also not sure why the author chose to write this pseudo-historical fiction in which not a single character acts appropriately for the Georgian setting. Just do a modern retelling then?
Can't for the life of me figure out how any of this got approved, but I suspect it's yet another novel where readers are just not bothered by sexual violence and breeches of consent as long as they're being committed by a female character. Disturbing.
Also not sure why the author chose to write this pseudo-historical fiction in which not a single character acts appropriately for the Georgian setting. Just do a modern retelling then?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Body shaming, Sexism, Sexual assault, Classism, and Death
Minor: Stalking, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Theft/sale and mutilation of corpses. Complete disregard for consent. Objectification of bodies. Dehumanization and human chattel/pet vibes.kaattie's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual content
Moderate: Infertility and Terminal illness
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Violence
rockyroadbutch's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Stalking, Abandonment, and Violence
Minor: Vomit and Suicidal thoughts
owl_eerie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Other than the obvious giant breech of consent at the beginning, the book takes its time to establish a believable emotional connection between the MCs that is based on respect and communication. Appreciated that. We could have spent less time waxing grandiloquent on how beautiful everyone was, but otherwise an enjoyable twist on the original novel. Spicy without being graphic or explicit, and honestly some of the most alluring spice I've read this year. I appreciated Anjelika's growth thru the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Abandonment
Minor: Gore and Sexual assault
beepbeep101's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Medical content
Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Religious bigotry, Infertility, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Stalking
sadiejericho's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Love Sally Thorne. This was a big swing for the fences and I really appreciate authors who take risks. Rarely while reading romance am I unsure of how things will turn out. I wasn’t really able to connect with the main characters enough to feel the usual investment in their love story, but the plot had enough going for it and there were enough entertaining side characters to keep me invested. Not for everyone and if you’re a usual Sally reader it’s not like anything she’s done before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body horror, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, and Pregnancy
jackiepreston's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.0
I have this ongoing problem with Sally Thorne books where there's so much dialogue that I can't actually keep track of where the characters are and what's going on in the scene. It worked in The Hating Game, but both this and 99 Percent Mine I kept losing track of what was going on at any giving time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent, Vomit, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual assault