Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Dochters van Sparta by Claire Heywood

20 reviews

tylaticklemouse's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, and Grief

Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

penny_m's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and War

lesemaus2303's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

reka111's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Sometimes we must be led by duty, and sometimes by what is right....The trick is to know when these things are the same, and when they are not

Okay, now how do i put into words a whole life feeling? I mean, really. I liked this book incredibly, oh my goodness, every minute of it. 

I loved the characters, but especially Clytemnestra's passionate and well-developed soul, she is my favorite for sure. Helen, though likable, had actions i couldn't agree with, and what surprised me the most was that Menelaus was quite lovable on my part.

The plot was okay, it covered quite well what was supposed to happen but with minor changes. The time jumps were not distracting and the pace was adequate. The ending got a nice closure, I have no reason to complain about it. Overall, it brought the level I expected. 

I recommend it to those who love warrior women who raise their voices and attack back. For those who love Greek mythology and are able to read anything to get closer to these legends.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Murder

Minor: Death of parent

larade's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

In her novel, Heywood builds on the well-known myths surrounding Helen and Klytemnestra by adding historically authentic details and giving the two women room to reclaim their respective narratives. 

For a while, I was sure this would be a five star read! I loved hearing about the sisters' different approaches to the fates they were handed and thoroughly enjoyed the way the narrative was built up. The pacing was great up until the beginning of the Trojan War when it, unfortunately, changed drastically. 

I understand why the author did not want to linger too much on this timespan, given how many other novels are already covering it extensively. Nonetheless, the frequent time jumps made the story suddenly feel unnecessarily rushed and made me lose grasp on the characters. Helen, who had been so promising before, suddenly became incredibly shallow - to a point where I felt as though I was reading about an entirely different person. While I still enjoyed Klytemnestra's chapters, the way her storyline was cut off did not work for me at all and made me wonder whether there would be a sequel. (There isn't. You'll have to go back to the Greek tragedies for that.) 

All in all, this book had a lot of potential. The writing is great! About two thirds of the story are incredibly reflective and emotional! I just wish it hadn't steered off track as much as it did towards the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, and Suicide

gabydoesgrowth's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Classism

hayleemarie's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and War

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

abhss's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Rape and Death of parent

amobrien's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.25

I'm a sucker for mythological retellings — though I will say that Daughters of Sparta is light on the magic that I normally expect from mythology and sticks more to realism. I found this to be really effective for this story as it delves into the Trojan War and its horrors, and I think it allows readers to connect with the characters as people more than as mythological figures. I really enjoyed the way the story focused on the two sisters Helen and Klytemnestra. Though separated by their responsibilities and geography, I loved seeing the ways in which the sisters were similar as well as how they were different, and how both of their choices affected each other and their communities. Though this book is heavy at times, I found it to be a rather quick read. If you love Greek mythology, I definitely think this is worth adding to your list!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, Rape, Slavery, Violence, and War

Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, and Murder

Minor: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail

isusp_65's review

emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Het is interessant om de Griekse mythes te bekijken van een vrij ongekend perspectief, vooral zoiets bekends als de Trojaanse oorlog. het is een erg tragisch verhaal en je hebt medelijden met karakters terwijl je ze ook verwijt. De nederlandse vertaling was op sommige momenten wel storend maar de schrijfstijl was over het algemeen goed. Het leest gemakkelijk met een snel plot. Voorkennis van de karakters en mythes is wel nodig. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Domestic abuse, and War

Moderate: Rape and Murder

Minor: Suicide