Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth

52 reviews

caidyn's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

While the more supernatural elements felt under-developed, I so enjoyed the characters and general plot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, Addiction, and Drug use

Moderate: Sexual assault and Child abuse

mikkarels's review

dark emotional 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Sexual assault

mmccombs's review

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

This was a great story that just lacked a bit of finesse. I really loved the themes tackled in this book and how they were explored. So many books talk about intergenerational trauma but few do it in a way that feels so immediate. It’s a ghost story and a story about monsters lurking in your family tree, I loved the balance of the paranormal and real lived experience. I do think the pacing was a bit funky, the side plots (Debby’s marriage, Jamie’s death, buying the bar) distracted from the meat of the story, and I sometimes felt like plot points were just included to prove that this was happening in and around Denver. But I think this book shows immense promise for future works from the author, the mood and themes and attitude of this book made for a very confident feeling story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Murder, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault

bookishconstellations's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse and Alcoholism

Minor: Sexual assault

erinxmegan's review

dark emotional funny 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

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Content Warnings

Minor: Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

symabee's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

3.5

I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit disappointed in this one. Maybe my hopes were too high after reading the premise, but it just fell flat for me. 

There were things I did like about the book. The horror and supernatural elements were cool, I enjoyed learning about Native culture and mythology, how it addresses addiction and trauma, and the fact that it shed light on the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women.

Now for the things I didn't like. 

It all felt very disorganized and had a lot of subplots thrown in that distracted from the story. At times, this felt more like a love letter to Denver, Colorado than a horror/thriller. So much time was spent describing local businesses, their decor and signage, and how they had changed over the years. Lots of talk about gentrification and yuppies taking over the area. I understand a certain level of this is needed to set the scene for the story, but this just felt rambling at times. A large portion of this book is also spent on the main character's cousin, who is in an abusive marriage. The cousin is basically just emotional support for the main character, so I'm not sure why we needed to know so much about her marriage.
There are also many references to Stephen King, David Mustaine, Bud Light beer, and reading old paperback novels in random places like noisy bars. After a while, it started giving "I'm not like other girls" vibes. 

I loved the idea of this book, and it had some great qualities, but the execution was very lackluster, unfortunately.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, Gore, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Alcohol

Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Pedophilia

cranewife's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Addiction, Drug abuse, Gore, Murder, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Grief, Drug use, Gun violence, and Violence

amwestermeyer's review

dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

Definitely an intriguing read! Native American influences, trauma, hard pasts, family dysfunction—all intertwined to make a good mystery. Also plenty if Stephen King references. ☺️

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death

archaicrobin'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? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

White Horse is a creepy mystery with indigenous folklore, family secrets, and some drama. I really enjoyed the unique voice in this novel and the supernatural elements were truly eerie. However, there were several subplots in this one that felt unnecessary and forced, like they were thrown in to meet page count or something. This is made the second half of the novel a slog for me to get through and I felt like the twist was very obvious. 

If you’re a horror fan or want to read more indigenous fiction I would definitely recommend White Horse, but if you’re looking for something ground breaking or truly terrifying look elsewhere.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Car accident, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Incest, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Grief, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Violence, Alcohol, and Blood

author2223's review

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse

Moderate: Incest, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

Minor: Pedophilia and Gun violence