Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - The Mermaid of Black Conch

Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey

12 reviews

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

I loved the narration! It has two narrators for the two POVs and it was well done, the main narrator does an amazing job of voices! I loved getting the mermaid’s Pov and wish we had more from her. Her narrative was told through a sort of prose while David’s is told through third person and journal entries.

I enjoyed the cast of characters for the most part. They’re all so complex and intriguing but at one point it did get confusing tracking them all, I think mostly because I listened to the audio version.

Not a fan of how sexual the book is. The talk about wanting to do things to the mermaid and sexual organs was a little excessive for me. I hate when authors use “her sex” to describe body parts, it makes me cringe 😭 and the amount of men feeling things “in their balls” or how often the author brought up how innocent and young the mermaid was, in turn making her “better” than the rest of the women was uncomfortable.

I liked the intertwining of mythology and folklore into the story, as well as the discussions of colonialism and wish there was more of that and less sex.

Content Warnings

sillyduckie's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark tense fast-paced

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

Content Warnings

aloy's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

2.75

Content Warnings

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0

For the fantastical elements, this still gets right at the heart of greed, power dynamics, sexism, and freedom. So realistic in its depiction of the rotten hearts and minds of some men. But not without its tenderness and care in others. Interesting reading about David and the mermaid finding their footing (pun intended) and figuring out power dynamics between the two of them in his house. I was disappointed how quickly she lost her "mermaidness" but that dissolved as the novel went on. But it did end on an exciting note, all things considered.

Content Warnings