Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan

11 reviews

snzow's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

ravenph's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Sexual harassment

bookishxintrovert's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

itzjez's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Pedophilia and Kidnapping

Minor: Child abuse and Sexual assault

helliepad's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

4.75

The author mentioned that she wrote this book feeling angry at the justice system and corruptness present in all Philippine bureaucratic and civil systems. I can feel it, and I can understand it.

What's worse is that though this book was written in the 90s, edited in 2013, and I've read it in 2022, this could have very well been a contemporary novel still set in my current time, or perhaps even in my grandchildren's time. It is the first time I've seen priests being involved investigators in crime novels instead of just witnesses.

Every single character in this book is dealing with decades of moral muck and personal issues and I don't have any poetic words for it. This is a situation that happens every day and I'm too familiar with the helpless, bleak feeling of the Philippines' extrajudicial system to even be surprised at it.

Very honest portrait.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical content, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

itskayleighlove's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

j_mikyla's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

cursedepub's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, and Murder

dgrachel's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad

3.0

A good mystery and I appreciated that it was set in a country I usually don't read about. It is a sad tale, though, and graphic, so pay attention to the trigger warnings. I do wish I'd read it in print instead of listening to the audio, because while the audio narrator was good, I think the story would have been more immersive in print and I'm sure there are details I missed that would have made the experience richer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder

ssconsequat's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content