Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

27 reviews

schnaucl's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

I really liked this one.    There are several bits of narration in omniscient third person where the narrator talks about it as a story and it's lovely and well written.  It reminds me of the opening of In the Shadow of Spindrift House.

Both characters were interesting, as were the Moors.  I wish it had been a little longer

and I was disappointed that it ends with Jack and Jill arriving home so we don't get to see what happens after they return at the end of Every Heart a Doorway,

but it was a lovely little story. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Abandonment

Minor: Child death

editorbrenna's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Murder

oliverreeds's review

dark tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder

beccaand's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, and Gore

Minor: Body shaming, Child death, and Fatphobia

decie's review

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

4.0

disappointed by the fact that we lost another queer character in this book...we have enough dead lesbians to last a lifetime and I trusted this author to do better. enjoyable otherwise, but it lost a star for that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

bury your gays

wickedwitchofky's review

adventurous dark fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

The relationship between Jill and The Master is unnerving; it is posed as “father / daughter” but seems deeper than that.

laurajones's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• 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

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, and Blood

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Medical content, Grief, and Cannibalism

Minor: Body shaming

anniereads221's review

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, and Murder

mariebrunelm's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.25

This second volume in the Wayward Children series is quite different from the first one, which had been the definition of a whimsical, unexpected book. This one is much more consistent, and has the feel of a fairy tale. You can almost hear a voice-over as in the series Pushing Daisies or the movie Penelope, and although it can feel tedious, here I thought it was done really well and effectively. Down Among the Sticks and Bones works as a prequel for Every Heart a Doorway. We follow two important but secondary characters from the first volume and learn more about them. I loved how the book encouraged defying expectations and making one's own path in life. Despite the voice-over feel, it still felt quite personal and engaging.
Rep: lesbian couple with a fat character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Toxic relationship, and Blood

Minor: Child death, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Murder

an_awkward_adhd_adventurer's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Grief and Murder

Minor: Animal death and Confinement