Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Het bal der gekken by Victoria Mas

8 reviews

jaydeecepticon's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Confinement, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexism

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Medical content, and Misogyny

imaginaryisobel's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

3.0

I'm not sure if this is due to reading it in translation but I just wanted more from this, it really just didn't deliver as much as I'd hoped for. Such a good concept and I liked most of the characters but I still felt at the end that I didn't really know them. Quick read but honestly one of very few books that I do actually think could benefit from being longer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Mental illness, and Rape

Moderate: Misogyny and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death of parent and Adult/minor relationship

picnicatthehangingtree's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Engaging but felt underdeveloped and a bit half-baked. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Rape, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Dementia, Alcoholism, Grief, Classism, Blood, Child death, Murder, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence

ktrain3900's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

3.5

Strong female characters are a surefire way to get me to read a book. The women (both "mad" and otherwise) are real, nuanced, opinionated. Their story is complemented by concise writing, rarely an unnecessary word or detail. (Sure, I had some difficulty picturing Salpetriere, a character in itself, but I always tend this sort of difficulty when reading.) Judgment is largely reserved and kept among the men. There is a matter of fact nature in dealing with spiritualism and communicating with the dead that lends a distance with which I'm not entirely certain I agree. Yet, you feel of and for these women. There but for the grace of God and all that. A solid, promising first effort. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Rape, Suicide attempt, and Forced institutionalization

Minor content warnings selected because these are vital to the story.

mattiedancer's review against another edition

informative tense fast-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? No

3.0

Writing: 3.25⭐️/5 

The writing, while insightful in many sections, focuses mostly on telling rather than showing. For many passages, the passage directly stated Mas’ thesis, pushing forward a firm theme rather than allowing the reader to come to conclusions on their own. This did make the book extremely accessible and a much quicker read.

Characters: 3⭐️/5

The characters felt real enough, and yet also rather flat in comparison to the content matter. Where I hoped to find depth, I was met with surface-level characters who occasionally displayed features that dipped below the surface. That being said, the characters were relatively intriguing and, since the story was short, they kept interest for the course of the novel. 

Plot: 3⭐️/5 

The concept of the plot is incredibly interesting but the execution fell a bit flat. While still enjoyable and interesting, both the main plot and the side plots left me wanting more.

Who Should Read This Book? 

• Those looking for an introduction to historical fiction
• Those wanting to learn more about Salpêtrière

Content Warnings? 

• Misogyny, sexism, classism, death of a parent, death, illness, toxic relationships, toxic friendships, 

Post-Reading Rating:  2.75⭐️/5

Left me wanting more.

Final Rating: 3.0⭐️/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Sexual content, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Drug use, Rape, Violence, and Vomit

lauramparis's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Physical abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Rape, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual violence

anastasia17's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Forced institutionalization

yuvkn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Incest, Medical trauma, and Child abuse

Moderate: Self harm, Sexual content, and Sexual violence