Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Circe by Madeline Miller

24 reviews

novastorm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Body horror and Rape

Minor: Death, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and War

caitlinemccann's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death and Cannibalism

koiolee's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing sad 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

4.75

I can't say why this isn't a 5 star read for me, but it just didn't feel like a 5 star read. Usually when I think that it's actually because theres no diversity or whatever, but this book is really only about Circe, so there's no point in diversity because only a few people come to her island in the first place.
ANYWAYS This book was fantastic. I love the way Miller writes and it's so captivating. I love the way Miller picks the characters that are mentioned but don't actually get the limelight in the classical tales. I've been told people either love or hate this book, and I'm on the love it side. Circe is painted as a docile goddess who gets taken advantage of and pushed too far too often. She learns to wear violence as a shield as shes seen and picked up from other gods and nymphs often. I liked the way this story ends where she finally accepts and becomes her truest self, not the goddess, but a mortal witch Circe. I love that for her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Incest

saskiahill's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail

thursdd4y's review

adventurous informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.75

Ughhhhhhhhh - I really wanted to love this but I just couldn’t, the writing style totally disregarded the ‘show don’t tell’ mantra and the protagonist was unbearable. I don’t understand the hype. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape and Sexism

abicaro17's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-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

4.25

I really enjoyed this book! I think getting to know Circe more intimately and engaging in her story as one piece instead of the fragments created an engaging and creative 400 pages. Circe is both likable and unlikable, blunt and evasive, rude and considerate, caring and unfeeling, and selfish and selfless. She evolves from a naive doormat into a strong and wise witch. I wish I could give this 5 stars but it falls flat for me. I didn't need a battle or a death but I feel like the disconnect from other characters and how flat everyone else seemed made it hard to care about the ending. I dislike comparing books (especially when they aren't actually connected) but, after reading Millers other greek retelling, this feels like an emotional let down. Not sure if my expectations were too high or if this just didn't deliver. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

amelia_horseman's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad 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

3.5

For a book claimed to be all about a strong female lead and all - this book can’t pass the Bechdel Test to save its life.  Otherwise.  Good story line, flows fast, and character growth is a major point to the story. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, War, and Classism

peachmoni's review against another edition

challenging dark sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Grief, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Slavery, Xenophobia, Blood, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

momma_needs_to_read's review against another edition

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

4.0

This was such a good book. I absolutely love Madeline Miller’s writing. She is able to perfectly describe settings and characters to a point that I was really able to picture it in my head. This book made me want to live on a deserted island with the animals and my own little garden outside a cottage.

I love Greek mythology and I’ve been wanting to read this for so long and I’m glad that I finally did. The book starts with Circe’s younger days and continues on as she explores and finds her true self. Anyone familiar with Greek Mythology will recognize most of the characters and their stories. This is such a great retelling. However, there were a few parts that kind of crept by and felt less interesting than others. Other parts had me completely enthralled, but then it would get to a slow part and start to lose me a bit.

Overall, I loved this book. I definitely recommend it to all Greek Mythology lovers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

issyd23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-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

4.0

Welcome to Αἰαία, see the pigs transform from humans. Welcome to Αἰαία, hope you like Circe you ain’t leaving. Caroline Polachek would love it here 4🏝️

I love how intricate names in Greek mythology are: Helios, Pasiphaë, Minos, Aeëtes & then there’s literally Jason!💀

NB Fuck, marry, kill: Odysseus, Achilles, Paris (in that order) 🏛️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail