Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Mister Magic by Kiersten White

23 reviews

phantompansy's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Homophobia, and Grief

Minor: Kidnapping, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Colonisation, Sexism, and Gore

santinasimile's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I'm a big fan of Kiersten, but this one just was not my cup of tea. 
The story and intrigue started out strong, but once the fantastical elements came into play, the whole story just didn't seem to fit together anymore. 
Once it clicked that this was about religion and trauma, I found myself having trouble staying engaged. 
I respect the immense amount of work put in to tell this type of story, and the author's note gave a better lens. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Toxic friendship, and Emotional abuse

herasrevenge88's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

5.0

Why am I crying over a horror book? Why do I want a happy ending? This book was slow paced but had an insidious tone. I both enjoyed and dreaded reading it because I wanted to know what was going to happen but the pace was so slow I felt like I might be disappointed at the end. I shouldn't have doubted Kiersten White. This is my second book that I've read that is written by her and while the first one I read was a faster pace it had similar vibes: there's more to what's going on here than you are originally lead to believe. This book had me questioning the reality of the world the characters were inhabiting, the other people they interacted with and even the reality of who they thought they were. The pacing does pick up about halfway through the book but its only faster compared to the previous part of the book. I've never read a book that I liked this much that I took this many voluntary breaks from it to absorb what I just read and to try to analyze what I've read so far. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Cursing, Grief, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Child death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Death of parent

bookb1itch's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I expected this book to be "traditionally" scary.  However, the real premise of the book is far more terrifying and rewarding than any of the events it depicts.  It is considerably more thought-provoking than what I expected - having chosen it as a "horror novel not by Stephen King".  I am really looking forward to recommending this to some of my more mature students.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Homophobia

cult-like religion ie Mormon and its unreasonable expectations of the innocence of childhood

I will be thinking about this story for quite some time to come.

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Abandonment, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Death, Medical content, Addiction, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Homophobia, Gun violence, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Sexual content, and Racism

babsthebatgirl's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abandonment

mynameisrebecca's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Body horror, Homophobia, and Child abuse

Minor: Religious bigotry, Racism, and Torture

huntress's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Homophobia, Death of parent, Classism, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Gaslighting, Racism, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Alcohol, Body horror, and Child death

Minor: Alcoholism

riflelizards's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

I'd seen a lot of hype about this book on BookRiot and that made me a little wary but it was entirely worth it. I practically devoured this book in a day and a half and the ending nearly made me cry. Spooky, heartfelt, and beautiful. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Homophobia and Sexism

Minor: Child death

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

I really enjoyed this book! It was a great mix of thriller and social commentary with some horror mixed in. 

The characters really changed and grew throughout the book. As well as their stories slowly being unraveled. Though I wouldn't have minded a bit more backstory on some of the secondary characters. The secondary characters were a great mix of lovable but slightly untrustworthy which really made it a good thriller. The truth behind the tv show was partly predictable, but the big twists weren't predictable.

The narrator was amazing and really brought the story and characters to life.

Overall an amazing listen. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Violence