Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Weyward by Emilia Hart

174 reviews

bookforthought's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

3.5

Let me start by saying that there should be so many trigger warnings for this book, as virtually every conceivable bad thing happens to women, and some scenes are quite vividly depicted and can be graphic. I have listed some content warnings, but I'm sure there may be some I've missed as so many things happen throughout the book. Please be mindful of your own wellbeing before approaching this.

Weyward was a slow start for me but eventually it drew me in and kept me going to the end, even though I contemplating abandoning this fairly early on. I listened to this in audiobook and the narrators do a great job keeping the three POVs distinct, something which might not have worked quite as well if I'd only read this. I liked how the three storylines came together in the end, tying up all the loose knots and having the story come full circle. The author definitely shows a lot of potential for a debut, with vivid descriptions of the natural world and the settings carrying most of the book.

The underlying themes of female resilience and embracing one's true nature and self were interesting (albeit not innovative) but they were slightly undermined by the magical realism element in my view, and came across as rather simplistic in their development and resolution. I would also have liked for the side characters to be better developed and nuanced, especially for a book ostensibly focused on the power of female relationships, as well as a larger focus on the good men in these women's lives. They absolutely didn't need to take centre stage, but it would have been nice to see some more attention being given to recognising their existence and support instead of sidelining them to focus almost exclusively and in excruciating detail on the (also one-note) men who wish to hurt the Weyward women.

Overall, an interesting read but not the most memorable book I've read on the topic. Perhaps my expectations were too high after all the hype surrounding this and I would have enjoyed it more had I expected less… still worth a read if you're curious about it though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Gaslighting

Minor: Suicide attempt and War

mangofraiche's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Abortion

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Incest, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and War

a_megaton's review

mysterious sad medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

kshuler's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Read content warnings before reading this book!

The writing: absolutely beautiful
The story: heartbreaking
The cover: gorgeous
The vibes: immaculate

Summary - women with the gift of magic get back at the men who wronged them and find strength in themselves and each other
I picked this book up randomly at a library book sale. It's not what I usually would choose for myself but I bought it because it was 50 cents and I loved the cover art. I had zero expectations before reading it. Don't go into this book expecting fantasy, it's historical fiction with a touch of magical realism that deals with a lot of sensitive topics. The story was extremely slow-paced. It felt like nothing was happening for half of the book but I didn't even care because the writing was so beautiful. I would read Emilia Hart's grocery list. At times it was so lovely the way she described the garden, noting the bird and insect sounds, the sway of the breeze, the sunlight. At other times it was so hauntingly, heartbreakingly vivid when she described the tragic things happening to her characters.
I certainly would not recommend this to just anyone, considering the subject matter, genre, and pace.
Will this be everyone's cup of tea? No. Was it mine? Hell yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Incest, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and War

pastelhxrmony's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Minor: Abortion

kayceero's review

DNF. Trauma porn. Felt like the characters existed only to put them through various traumas. Unremarkable writing and flat, one-dimensional characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

piebelly's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting

Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Car accident, and War

elizas's review

dark emotional inspiring tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Car accident

Minor: Alcoholism, Dementia, Abandonment, and Classism

bookedandbusy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

This book was absolutely incredible. So well written and magical. It dealt with some heavy topics but they were done so well, I absolutely loved getting three different timelines from three different women, I loved seeing how it all came together.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Blood, and Abortion

Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and War

nehashtyle's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Abortion