Reviews tagging 'Incest'

The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes

20 reviews

ncghammo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Grief

berrybiaful's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

4 stars

I feel as if sometimes, Haynes can stray away from the myth she is reimagining until it feels like a new take completely. But really, in instances like these, I feel it is necessary. She has a real knack for bringing forth side-lined characters (mainly female) to really add more depth to the story.

This story did seem to have a slow pacing, but I think it's because of the dual POV, both of which are set in the past and present. But I enjoyed this narration style and it tied together quite nicely at the end. As always, Haynes explores the forgotten female characters, telling the tale from Jocasta's and her daughter's, Ismene's POV which lends a new perspective.

There was a definite sense of suspense, and I wasn't disappointed by the version of events Haynes chose to write into this novel. I just wish there had been more of the relationship between Jocasta and her children...

I think the audiobook performance was excellent and really helped me remain immersed in this book, but also I'm a sucker from Greek mythology lol

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore

Moderate: Death and Incest

1abookwormdiary_'s review

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Self harm and Incest

mpeach's review

emotional lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Blood, Child death, Incest, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Minor: Pregnancy

nila's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

I love what I've read of Natalie Haynes' work so far, and I feel this was like reading a great first draft. The first third of the book was really slow, and it wasn't until the connection between the two timelines became clear (which could just me not seeing the obvious) that I became more invested in the story. I felt there was no depth to the characters, and a lot of telling, not showing. I'm just disappointed because there is absolutely great potential to the book, especially considering Haynes' other work, but it just didn't live up to it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Incest, Suicide, and Death of parent

Moderate: Murder and Child death

meg_elyse's review against another edition

dark informative sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Self harm, Death, Grief, Incest, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Sexism

frankieclc's review against another edition

4.5

you hear about greek myths and all the horrible things that happened and the shock value is so far removed at this point that we just brush them off but natalie haynes always manages to bring the stories so incredibly to life that the horror is absorbed so much more

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Violence, Death, and Incest

introverted_reads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Death, Murder, Death of parent, Violence, Grief, Confinement, Blood, and Child death

akswhy's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.25

Come for NH’s lady-led take on the Oedipus story, stay for her to “play fast and loose” (her words) with it in the absolute best way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Suicide, Slavery, Violence, Pregnancy, Murder, Death of parent, Child death, Blood, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Miscarriage, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape

toriliz's review

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This book has earned a special spot on my shelf as one of my favorite books. It took a lot of emotional stamina for me to get through, between both Jocasta and Ismene’s awful situations, but it was worth it. I have always felt compassion towards Jocasta; she was a victim of the gods’ awful will. How would you handle finding out your second husband is actually your child, oh and you had kids together, oh and your city is cursed because of your actions? This just added a new layer of my sympathy towards her and toward Ismene, as well. I won’t reread this often but it has definitely earned a special spot on my shelf. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Blood

Moderate: Pregnancy, Confinement, and Incest

Minor: Vomit and Sexual assault