Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

92 reviews

chloeallegra's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-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

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Miscarriage and Infertility

nyk4envy's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I enjoyed this book immensely. The writing and language was something to get used to, but once I did, I saw it for it’s beauty. A tragic story of pain and love and survival. It can only reflect on the current state of our world. Being prosecuted, oppressed, losing and grieving, finding yourself grounded by loves in your life. It was incredible to read, sometimes I couldn’t put it down. Sometimes I needed to put it down. I cried with the characters, I raged with them. 
Incredible story based on a far away tragedy and I couldn’t have asked for me. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Rape, Homophobia, Violence, Colonisation, Infertility, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Murder, Torture, Death, and Grief

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Torture, Child abuse, and Child death

omgmkg's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book was advertised to me as witch trial fiction, but it is really much more about the conditions that allow a witch hunt and trial to happen. As a bit of a social scientist, this fictionalized take really speaks to me. At the same time, that makes the pacing of the book a bit odd—first quite slow and then fast. 

The exploration of what it would have been like if a remote place had lost all its men (which did actually happen historically) was fascinating and a part of that slower pace, though, and I really enjoyed it. As one reviewer stated, it is a feminist book without ignoring historical reality. 

I loved Ursa and Maren and really felt I learned their worlds. I was rooting for each of them right away. 

Sort of spoiler (very mild)

Spoiler

I wish that there was a more positive or satisfying end, but that is just not realistic in this type of book.

 

It is written in present tense which is  not my preference, but I got used to it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Miscarriage, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Rape

hiraeth_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Genocide, Misogyny, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Animal death, and Lesbophobia

sylexlibris's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Murder, Religious bigotry, Torture, Violence, Domestic abuse, Rape, Grief, Misogyny, and Sexual content

ollie579's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Racism, Death, and Rape

ollie579's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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

Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Religious bigotry

jazteen14's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Rape, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, and Sexism

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, and Misogyny

Minor: Blood, Infertility, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Terminal illness

haylieprovencher's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

to be a girl is to be damned. its strange to think of a time where women practicing any extent of autonomy could’ve been a life or death situation. its gruesome and tragic and sad to think about all of these women who met this fate for daring to be themselves. its also tragic to think about the ways in which genocide was committed through witch trials. the hubris and fear of religion continues to reap similar consequences in the modern day, although in a different context. this wouldve been a 5 star read if not for the ending. i felt a little let down. the entire book did a beautiful job of foreshadowing and building, but the arc between ursa and maren fell flat to me. i understand that it was realistic and the most sensible ending, but

Spoiler

in my heart id like to think that they found each other again and lived the rest of their lives together. love really does set you free

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape