Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash

12 reviews

amaranth_wytch's review

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Homophobia, Violence, Bullying, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Misogyny, Outing, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Classism, Cursing, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Suicide, Deadnaming, Rape, and Stalking

brinnavirginia's review

emotional tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, Animal death, Mental illness, Alcohol, Grief, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death, Dementia, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Violence, Outing, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Murder, and Transphobia

olivias_bookrecs's review

dark sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Transphobia, and Murder

savshelfinger's review

challenging 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? Yes

4.25

great novel to disappear into but NOT a light read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, and Transphobia

Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Homophobia, Addiction, and Bullying

Minor: Drug abuse

honestlyyours77's review

3.75

Hmm… I actually have say wondering what my opinion of this book was… I think on really enjoyed it lol it’s one of those rare time I actually rounded up as I would put it at a 3.75. 

One issue I had was the transitions are clunky. There was one spot where it looks like a chapter is missing as the jump just doesn’t read well. However, it gets back on track easily.

It’s definitely a ride of twists and turns, a bit unrealistic and repetitive. But I like that it’s not a story that just ties everything up in a nice little package with a cheery bow.

The language is a bit jarring so you have to keep the time period in your mind as it’s just being authentic to the time period. However, I expect it may be triggering to some folks and probably should come with trigger warnings at the beginning of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Outing, Adult/minor relationship, Deadnaming, Murder, and Toxic relationship

nikenacs's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Homophobia, Transphobia, Pedophilia, Deadnaming, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Alcohol, Vomit, and Alcoholism

emilycmarshman's review

challenging dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Misogyny, Violence, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Transphobia, Sexual assault, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Blood, Deadnaming, Child death, Grief, Gore, Child abuse, and Bullying

nickel_books's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This novel is not for the faint of heart. Thrash's adult debut chronicles the life of a New Hampshire teen whose whole family is caught up in the Satanic Panic, experiencing tragedy and trauma for the 20 years that follow the fateful night of her parents' arrest. Rainbow Black is a challenging read that produces a wide range of emotions - anger, frustration, horror, dismay, compassion, and a smidgen of hope. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Pedophilia, Rape, Transphobia, Animal death, Deadnaming, Gore, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Child abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Death, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Violence

caseythereader's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.25

Thanks to Harper Perennial for the free copy of this book.

 - Whew, RAINBOW BLACK is a ride. I was fully gripped from page one and couldn’t read it fast enough.
- It’s extremely dark and gruesome, but also filled with black humor and little bread crumbs dropped to keep you wanting to read one more chapter.
- Every character in this book is a complicated person. You can fully understand why they are acting the way they are, and yet they are doing horrible, villainous things. It’s really a feat. (It’s also extremely queer.)
- I do want to note that a big chunk of this book is set among teenagers in 1990, and the language reflects that. It’s a bit shocking to read homophobic and ableist slurs tossed around so casually now, but it is true to what I remember of the time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Deadnaming, Confinement, Drug abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Gore, Grief, Murder, and Transphobia

Moderate: Dementia, Racial slurs, and Fatphobia

Minor: Antisemitism and Cancer

lauravm's review

dark emotional tense 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? Yes

4.0

Life has dealt young Lacey Bond a bleak hand. Bleak is not strong enough, let's call it torturous. Accused, abused, and utterly alone, Lacey faces a journey through unfathomable twists, and she can rely only on her own intelligence and an icy will to survive. 

“Rainbow Black”  touches every dark corner: pedophilia, bullying, addiction, murder, pack mentality, deceit, suicide, exploitation of the most vulnerable, homophobia, and crimes of every degree. I probably left something out. Somehow, Thrash finds beauty in the morass, bringing it all together in a strangely satisfying way without relying on neatly tied ends or miraculous resolutions. 

The “couldn't put it down” factor in this one is strong.

Thrash’s character development in “Rainbow Black” is fascinating; none of these people are going to be who readers want them to be, protagonist and villains alike (and hardly anyone in fits neatly into either category). While the story involves much evil and harm, love also exists in all its complicated glory. Without revealing any spoilers, it's both ironic and triumphant to say that Lacey stays true to her identity as an independent, queer, headstrong survivor.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide attempt