Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

22 reviews

librarymouse's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

5.0

Jack is such a stoic character in Every Heart a Doorway. It was really interesting to see the childhood glimpsed in the first book, in vibrant detail. While the book is about both twins, it's pretty hard to care about Jill. At the same time, her anger is justified. Jack being encouraged to be pretty, quiet, and nonargumentative let it seem like she was on the side of her parents, even though both girls were trapped in the lives their parents designed. It was interesting to see Jack being deemed the pretty twin, and Jill the sporty one of the two in their youth, and to watch those roles melt away as they acclimated to their respectively chosen roles in the moors. Jack is taught to be an individual with a responsibility to the community and a community to be a part of. Jill is molded into a selfish child of a monster, getting everything she's ever wanted and only learning to crave more. Jack left and chose Dr. Bleak to save Jill, knowing she'd never be able to measure up to the level of decorum expected of them as Jack would be able to - at least not as they were when they were young. She left because she knew Jill would grow to resent her, even as Jill yearned for a relationship with her sister. Alexis's death at Jill's hands, as the person who loved Jack and taught her to love and be loved in return, was also the final blow through which Jack realized she couldn't completely give up on her sister and watch her be rightfully killed by the mob of townsfolk. Jill's delusion that killing Alexis would reconstitute her relationship with Jack shows how much of an influence the Master had on her, and how far she's gone from humanity. I hope we get to see them again, back in the Moors and Jill having to learn how to live like a person again, now that she's dead and cannot be loved by the Master. The possibility of Alexis's second resurrection is something I still haven't given up on yet.
I also really enjoyed Jack's explanation for her masculinized look, as not hiding or dismantling her femineity, but preserving it from the dangers of her work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

avacadosocks's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder

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

Minor: Child death, Fatphobia, and Medical content

lonelylooper's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Murder

Minor: Grief

nerdysread's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Préféré au premier. Jack et Jill etaient deux persos qui m'intriguaient beaucoup alors forcement un livre avec elle j'allais pas dire non. Et franchement j'adore. Si tous les livres ont une qualité superieure au précédent ça va vite devenir ma série fav

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Blood, and Medical content

Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia

harleyqueen's review

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

The origin story of Jack and kills adventure in the moors - the portal world they fell into . A book of discovery and understanding the choices you make can have consequences 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content

twistykris's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-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

4.5

This novella delves more into Jack and Jill's backstory, which was briefly mentioned in the first book.

It was interesting to hear how their personalities evolved when they were growing up around their parents vs when they were in Their World. 

A very dark, compelling continuation of the Wayward children, and I can't wait to continue the series.

This book

made me hate Jill even more because of what she did to Alexis, her sister's lover. I really wanted to empathize with her desire to be wanted and appreciated but UGH she's terrible..

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder

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

Minor: Bullying, Fatphobia, and Medical content

rahrahjay's review

adventurous dark sad fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Medical content

Moderate: Fatphobia

gayledayle's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

As an identical twin, there are several passages, especially in the first quarter, that made me nearly cry with a sense of recognition. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, and Murder

75% of the book is spent in a world that is described as belonging in a classic horror movie, so while none of the 'moderate' warnings are main focuses, they are pervasive throughout the background. The emotional abuse is primarily in the first quarter, and is a main focus.

anastasia_raf's review

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Kidnapping

kimmychii5's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, and Grief

Minor: Fatphobia

Down Among the Sticks & Bones is an exceptionally well written story of two sisters who never learned how to be themselves, but thanks to a magic door, they learn about themselves and who they want to be. This story is about love in all it’s different forms and that no matter what happens, always be your true self.