Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

9 reviews

goldenlake's review

adventurous hopeful informative sad fast-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

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Body horror

Moderate: Violence, Vomit, and War

dolores_madil's review

emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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? No

4.75

I love this book for the main message but also the under messages I was able to pick up as an adult. I also loved as a writer the message of storytelling and how it is apart of who we are. I defiantly think this is a upper middle grade though I also don't read many middle but it tackles some thought concepts. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Medical content

Moderate: Slavery, Genocide, and Racism

wellreadandhalfdead's review

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I really enjoyed this one! I thought a lot of the language used was awkward - nobody used contractions for some reason. But the characters were cute, and the idea of stories helping remind us of our humanity was an important message. Petra as a character bothered me a bit, as she was constantly flip-flopping in her decisions. However, the plot was a nail-biter and it kept me on the edge of my seat. Overall, it was entertaining and I'll be checking out more of the author's books.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting and Death of parent

Moderate: Genocide

becathefox's review

adventurous hopeful tense slow-paced

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

3.0

<Familial death>

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, and Death of parent

gabydoesgrowth's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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

4.25

This was my first middle-grade story as an adult and at first I felt a little silly reading it, but I really enjoyed it. The cover drew me in and I had to get it. It’s short and moves pretty fast so it kept me interested. 

Some of the sci-fi aspects are familiar, but it still felt fresh and original.

The writing was really well done and I loved learning about Petra and her family and how her heritage was such a central part of herself. 

I wish the story continued after its end. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Murder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Child abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Ableism, Classism, and Colonisation

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Violence

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Death, Murder, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Genocide, Death of parent, War, Confinement, and Colonisation

theintrovertedintrovert's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Murder

while there are no graphic descriptions of deaths of characters, the main character discovers that her parents and others were "purged" by the Collective when they couldn't be controlled. Also, the children in the story are consistently dehumanized and there is a clear understanding that the MC and the other children are entirely expendable.

taliahsbookshelf's review

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

 If you’re anything like me, you probably have some sort of collection. It could be small, it could be big, it could be made of anything. Books, DVD’s, potato chip cans, I don’t know. But I want you to think about that collection. This stuff that means a lot to you, even if it isn’t worth a lot. Then I want you to think of the hidden gem in that collection. The thing you might not think of first when asked about your collection, that you might not think of as the most important one in your collection, that doesn’t necessarily stand out from your collection at first glance. But it’s the one that hidden deep beneath, is secretly your favorite. It’s the one you default to when you’re a little sad, or when you have to remind yourself why you started this collection in the first place. 

That’s what reading this book felt like. That little kernel of pure, unbridled joy that feels childlike and limitless. With a plot that packs a punch and characters ready to stand up to it all, The Last Cuentista now sits in its rightful place of honor on my bookshelf. 

When I first picked up this book at my local bookstore, it was the cover that drew me in. The bright colors, the whimsical nature tied in with some sci-fi elements. Then I read the summary, and was intrigued by the Latinx culture as seen in a sci-fi genre, with spaceships and aliens. But when I was reading it, it was the story that kept me captivated. The last storyteller, our main character, Petra, was simultaneously a badass and a beautiful, relatable character. She might only be thirteen, but she feels so real that you forget she isn’t standing right next to you. 

This book gave off the vibes of the movie Passengers, the book series Percy Jackson, and strangely, somehow, the city of Chicago. I can’t really explain that last one, just like I can’t really explain the way this book was perfection in a beautiful casing. 

Read it. Now. I promise you that you will get lost in the story and stay invested until the very last word. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Grief

Minor: Child death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Animal death, Ableism, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping