Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Circle by Mats Strandberg, Sara Bergmark Elfgren

9 reviews

catommy17's review against another edition

I have a lot to say about the book I couldn't even finish. The feeling I had the entire time I was reading it, was intense anxiety. Yet i was stubborn and couldn't put the book and I wish I did. I also would like to have a physical copy of the book so I could tear it into small pieces and then burn those pieces and then send the ashes back to authors, because even the nuclear waste dumpsite is not enough the remnants of the book.

The authors exploit trauma, adding everything for shock value. This book has, like, dozens characters and none of them is okay. If you have certain triggers as a reader, prepare to encounter them described very graphically. I mean, the book literally opens up with 

suicide of one of the students

. Every family is dysfunctional, except for, I guess, Minoo's. Some of the scenes are simply gut-wrenching and tragic. I grew up in a rural town, I moved to the rural town and it's never been as messed up as this book.

One moment you will have compassion for characters, another moment they will say or do something so effed up and abhorrent you will never want to pick up the book ever again. Minoo and Rebecca are the only decent people among the bunch. It was refreshing to read about Minoo whose parents are not assholes for a change, you know?   I should have dropped this book

when Rebecca died

. And it was done just for shock value. I sympathized with Anna-Karin up until the party scene...because that was so messed up and sick that I dropped the book shortly after that. Linnea and Vanessa were...mildly effed up, I guess? So much impact was put on their sexuality/promiscuity that I started to feel that they are written for some fans of barely legal. Especially that scene with Jonte. It was unnecessary.  It added nothing, absolutely nothing to the plot. I don't understand why Ida was included, she's vile, she's hardly involved into anything the girls do and the only thing that's good about her is that 

she apparently dies in the next book

 

We get it, characters are broken and traumatized. Now can we get at least something nice without it being destroyed?

For whom this book was written? I think harsher readers won't pick up the book made for teens. And more sensitive to triggers readers will feel as bad as I did. This is basically trauma porn. 

Oh, yeah, it was supposed to be about witches or something. Not much of that stuff in the book. It could have been the book about serial killer and nothing would have changed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Abandonment, Sexual content, Self harm, Physical abuse, Murder, Bullying, Body shaming, Suicide, Grief, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Infidelity, Dysphoria, Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Cursing, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, and Addiction

fionamatilda's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Bullying, and Death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Alcohol, and Fatphobia

Minor: Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Drug use, and Adult/minor relationship

pawprintedpages's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Bullying, Fatphobia, Drug use, Alcohol, Body shaming, and Homophobia

Minor: Eating disorder and Adult/minor relationship

nadiaherondale's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Re-read 'cause I was obsessed with this book as a teenager (I still have it at home) and realized I never finished the series, so I'm gonna give it a go. Still a great YA fantasy with a bit of mystery, it has always seemed to me as a pretty mature book given the audience it 's directed to. Some parts were predictable but it might be 'cause even if I haven't read it for years I still remember things 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Rape, Grief, Drug use, and Suicide

bookswstella's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-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

Älskade början!! Jag var hooked från första sidan och även fast det tog längre än var det brukar ta för mig att läsa var den riktigt bra! 
Jag lånade boken av en kompis som tyckte att jag skulle läsa den men jag trodde typ att den skulle få 2/5 i betyg men jag hade verkligen fel och blev väldigt positivt överraskad! 

Den tar upp rätt tunga ämnen men är ändå väldigt lättläst jämfört med andra fantasy böcker jag läst. Sen var det var flera av karaktärerna (speciellt Anna-Karin) som jag störde mig på och blev frustrerad över hur de hanterade vissa situationer. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

avatas's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Death, Murder, Pedophilia, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Bullying, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Blood

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Gun violence, and Lesbophobia

maxreadssometimes's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Self harm, Murder, Homophobia, Drug use, Death, Bullying, Blood, Alcohol, and Adult/minor relationship

marionlundqvist's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

booksthatburn's review

Did not finish, 14% in. Maybe I’ll try this again someday, but the mood whiplash from the very early, very graphic death which kicks off the plot was too much for me. The plot shocked me and then meandered for a while, I’m sure it has a destination but I’m not ready right now for the journey.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Homophobia

fatphobia, homophobia, bullying, toxic relationship, adult/child relationships, drug use, confinement, grief, mental illness, eating disorder, dysmorphia, blood, self harm, suicidal thoughts, suicide, child death, death.