Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen

13 reviews

theonlybaillie's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Self harm, Death of parent, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

patricktreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

A dark murder mystery set in the 50’s that is rough and not happy or smooth. 

The twists in this were everything. The discussion of hard to acknowledge topics like homophobia and police brutality was also a very important and well felt piece. It was made a part of the story and not just a plot point on the side. 

Please not content warnings before reading. This mystery is deep and can be triggering. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

bambooboy's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• 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

4.75

Vikas Adam's voice delivers a smooth noir, barrel-whisky finish to Rosen's deliciously gay whodunit,  set in 1952 San Francisco. The fantasy of a luxury gay mansion hidden safely in the hills is shattered when the lesbian matriarch dies under mysterious circumstances. Andy, a recently outed and fired cop, contemplates throwing himself in the brackish and unforgiving waters of the Bay; that is, until he is recruited by Pearl, the mourning widow, to investigate her wife's death without homophobic police interference. Everyone's got a secret, everyone's got a reason, and everyone claims innocence; but someone must have killed her on that cold, rainy night. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism

Description of possible triggers under the spoiler cut.

--Alcohol/ism: Alcohol is abused by many characters throughout.
--Graphic animal death: one rabbit is shot but doesn't die; neck is snapped. Second rabbit is shot between eyes. A dead rat is hidden in a bar of soap.
--Graphic, upsetting homophobia: Protagonist is outed and fired; later beaten nearly to death by former cop coworkers. The beating is described in detail. Slurs used without, social ostracism described.
--Graphic homophobia-driven mental and physical child abuse: A character recounts being locked in room and drugged, beaten by parents for being gay.
--Suicidal ideation: main character sets up suicidal plan to jump in river after being outed.
--Murder by poison: three people are murdered by poison.
--Suicide by poison: one character commits suicide by eating poisoned soup.