Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Anatomy: Eine Liebesgeschichte – Lass dich entführen in die geheimnisvolle Regency-Welt dieses #1 New York Times Bestsellers by Dana Schwartz

24 reviews

rustycups's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? No

3.25

It was an overall good read. The characters worked well with eachother but we never really saw much if Hazel unless it was to do with surgery. It wasn't to bad thought because we saw a lot of character displayed through that. I did not like the ending to the book I feel as if jt upset the vibe we allresfy had and it came completely out if nowhere for me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexism, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

bootsmom3's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful informative inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

arbramirez's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

sydn3ycx's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I read for the feminist and gothic aspects, not the romance. I’m also not big on history. However, I do appreciate the amount of research the author did and I find that the story was adorable, at least in the middle of it all. The pace seemed too slow for me and I used quick reading techniques to bulldoze through it after about page 80. The reflections on class are wonderfully written. I did feel that the feminism fell short at the end of the book with a certain life-saving method, and found myself on the villain’s side, despite the protagonist being a genuine hero, regarding a choice that she’d made that concludes the book. I feel that both that and the pacing are what are putting me to 3 stars. I’m interested in the sequel, to see how things go in relation to women’s oppression and medicine within Hazel’s story and further exploration of class issues with a person close to her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Torture, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Gore, and Abandonment

Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, and War

quietlex's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad 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

3.0

At first I found this a boring read with a few interesting points/moments thrown in, but by the end of it, I’m feeling a wanting sadness. Jack and Hazel have so much chemistry, a connection that anyone would envy. Their love story is an odd yet simple tale, soiled only by others’ greed. Poor boy falls for rich girl, they are forbidden to be, yet both struggle to find a way.

It really didn’t make sense for Dr. Beecham to give up his vial of formula so easily, especially after Hazel made it clear that she wouldn’t be using it for herself, but on Jack. I know he was hoping to have an immortal partner in crime to help advance medicine, but Hazel showed no signs of giving up on her love for Jack. They also never touched back on the “burning coals” in Bernard’s eyes after he sees Hazel taking care of Jack. I know the police immediately arrest Jack, so you could conclude that Bernard went straight to the cops, but they make it seem like Bernard was on Jacks side until the viscount convinced them otherwise. Otherwise, I really enjoyed watching the two love birds fall for each other and slowly being affectionate. It really encapsulated how it feels to be young and in love for the first time. What a trip to read Jack’s letter to Hazel about his still beating heart, “beating or still,” and to close the book and see the engraved anatomically correct heart on the front, still. My heart!

Easy read, if only boring at times with a sweet streak of romance that keeps you going. Long live Jack! And medicine!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

saturnsierra's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

I wasn’t expecting this to take a Frankenstein esq turn. It felt like it came out of nowhere and wasn’t set up as well. I came into the book expecting just historical fiction, not as much the fantasy element to it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Torture, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Sexism

beabates's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, and Classism

kfm96's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.0

Strong left turn in the last 30 pages that didn't really make sense. I think there were supposed to be clues to the ending but there were maybe two in other 300 pages and it just didn't make sense. Clearly written to set up a sequel, which is fine, but actually tying the ending elements into the plot would have made for a story that makes more sense.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, Medical content, and Classism

bandysbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? No

3.0

I was a bit torn about reading this book. I’m not the biggest romance reader, but I do love historical fiction…particularly when it’s set in Edinburgh (one of my real life favorite cities). I decided to go in with an open mind and give it a solid try.

I was mostly pleased with this story and particularly enjoyed the bits about medical practice in Scotland. I recognized bits about the development of “ether” as this also features prominently in The Way of All Flesh which I’ve read prior. I will say that some plot points struck me as a bit similar to that story as they both feature the poor of Edinburgh being murdered in horrific ways and with possible links to medical practice.

That said, I loved the main character in Anatomy. She is spunky, resilient, clever, and determined. She finds loopholes for everything that could potentially stand in her way. I appreciated that although she does have an innate talent for medicine, she also literally grows up studying it and continues to be studious throughout her career. Her talent helps, but she earns her reputation through hard work.

The romance was fine. I felt it was fairly realistic and not overly sweet. Both characters seem authentic for their ages, class, and the situation.

The only major downside in this book for me is when it deterred from reality. The magical reveal made what was an engaging plot seem silly and cheapened the ending. I wish it had been edited out honestly.

All in all, a good read most of the way with an ending that just didn't quite get me there. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

meliroo's review against another edition

dark mysterious

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism