Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

6 reviews

squinnittowinit's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

Beautiful fantasy world based on ancient Persia. Story feels like a classic fairytale in the format of a novel, almost Romantic in style. Good character development from the main character, satisfying ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Bullying, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Body horror, War, Death, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Suicide, Stalking, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood

glitterdeww's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a young adult fantasy novel that takes inspiration from middle eastern culture and mythology. It's plotting and world building feels interesting and well thought out, and the character growth of Soraya (our protagonist) is quite satisfying by the end of the story. There's also good queer representation within the romances that build throughout the book! I think in all the story accomplished what it intended. My only blanket criticism is that some aspects of the writing feel maybe a little bland? I'm writing this a week after finishing and I have trouble remembering some things that happened. Idk that the whole of the story will stick with me, but I did enjoy it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Child abuse

jojo_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Torture

Minor: Abandonment, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Bullying

linesiunderline's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense 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

4.0

I really liked the world building here, with the infusing of so many elements of Persian storytelling and lore. The universe of the story was rich and evocative. At times I found the pace felt a bit stuck, like we were swirling around in the same conflicts without much progression. Still, you don’t need to be a deep fantasy lover to enjoy this read. If you’re a fan of feminist fairytales, then this is one to try.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Panic attacks/disorders

reading_between_the_trees's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Soraya is born with a curse. Poison flows in her veins so that anything she touches dies. Her poison could be her greatest strength or her greatest weakness. It could make her fold inward or stand tall in power. I mean, what a premise. I was drawn into this story immediately, and every bit of wonderful literary potential was pulled out of this incredible set-up.

In a sea of patriarchal fantasy and heteronormative romance, this book was a breath of fresh air. Everything about it was feminist in the best way. The female bi protagonist drove the story with her flaws center stage right next to her self-reckoning and strength. But her moments of weakness were just as exquisitely written. It is just so hard to put the perfection of this book into words. Where is the sequel? I need more of Bashardoust's writing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Kidnapping, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Torture, and Mental illness

beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Grief