Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

12 reviews

mkumar's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Gore, and Toxic relationship

comfy_anna's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Gore, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Medical trauma, Cannibalism, Body horror, Murder, Body shaming, Vomit, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

Moderate: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Addiction, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Outing, Rape, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Death, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Terminal illness

Minor: Abandonment and Abortion

ceebee86's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

Like with another of Ava Reid's work that I had read, "A Study in Drowning", I found this to be a slog at first, and then right towards the end she manages to tie everything up neatly.

I am not fully convinced of its "horror" label. There were moments where I thought it was disturbing and gross for sure--just like The Juniper Tree fairy tale. But this was more sad than anything.

I found Marlinchen to be a bit aggravating at first but it really does just take some getting used to. She's not so much aggravating as she is sad. The profound effects of abuse permeate her very mentally ill mind.

On this subject I thought the novel really hit. It was very real. The parental and sexual abuse, the honeymoon reconciliation and the rest of the stages in the cycle of abuse, the way siblings grow to use each other for their own survival, and the trauma bonding, were all just so so real.

My one major gripe is that it did slip into a repetitive or redundant style. The book mentions breasts and nipples a lot. And yeah maybe there was an intent to it thematically, but at some point it just became too much. I was tired of it. 

And also the constant "I am ugly and my two sisters are beautiful" schtick. I get it. Characterizing women only by their one most defining physical feature is very much a fairytale trope, but it's so tiresome in the context of a contemporary novel.

I believe Reid said this book thematically revolved around the advancement of society under capitalism. That was an undercurrent across the book as a whole. And I thought it established the atmosphere and setting really well.

Overall, a decent read but not for the impatient or those with weak stomachs.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Child abuse, Classism, Eating disorder, Gore, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Cannibalism, Confinement, Mental illness, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcoholism and Antisemitism

louiepotterbook's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

This book was entertaining for the most part but certain aspects of it left me kinda grossed out and confused. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Self harm, Death, Dysphoria, Gore, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Vomit, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Xenophobia

there is cannibalism in this book as well as a scenes where the characters are turned on by gore.

kiandrareadsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Self harm, Blood, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Animal death, Body horror, Death of parent, and Gore

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

bookmark3brodi's review against another edition

challenging mysterious fast-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Rape, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Self harm, Cannibalism, Child death, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Body shaming, Bullying, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, and Sexism

abception's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content, Blood, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Vomit, Xenophobia, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Confinement, Physical abuse, Dysphoria, Gore, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Body horror, Body shaming, Colonisation, and Grief

Minor: Alcohol and Suicidal thoughts

stacyaj's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Eating disorder, Cannibalism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Dysphoria

campisforever's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

A dark retelling of "The Juniper Tree," Juniper & Thorn is slow-paced with the repetition we normally associate with oral storytelling. The narrative is beautifully written and well constructed. While I found it difficult to stomach and definitely needed breaks throughout, I recognize that the discomfort was part of the point. I also often felt like I couldn't find a foothold, but realized about 3/4 of the way through that it was intentional--until Marlinchen begins to piece things together, it's a bit difficult to locate the narrative's bearings. 

This novel is a really raw and honest portrayal of various kinds of trauma, mental health struggles, and coping mechanisms. Many of the content warnings I've included are the exact warnings Ava Reid provides for the novel on her website. Please be mindful of those tags. That said, I was honestly a little scared to read this book because it seemed like a lot, and it was, but not in a way that glorifies the horrors of humanity and abuse. If you're open to a story that takes you through the darkest parts of our folklore--here, Germanic and Slavic lore--and gives you a glimmer of hope on the other end, it's worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Blood, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Medical trauma, Vomit, Body horror, Mental illness, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, and Self harm

Moderate: Cannibalism, Antisemitism, Incest, Classism, and Violence

luxias's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Cannibalism

Minor: Gore, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Abandonment, and Blood