Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Witches of Vardø by Anya Bergman

31 reviews

gealghaireach's review against another edition

dark informative sad slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

bellsdixon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

janey_bones's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

ella_bibliophile_98's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.0

Beautifully written book of the horrifying witch trials of Norway in the 17th century. 

I really enjoyed the descriptions of nature and the magic of the female relationships vs. The cold cruelty of the world of men 

It felt a bit hard at times because it is a historical novel the language can be difficult l,  but once I got into it I really enjoyed it. 

Very sad and quite graphic at times but well worth a read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Torture, Blood, and Murder

victoria_mh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

There is a lot of very heavy stuff in this book;

I was expecting torture of 'witches' and that itself was hard to read, but then there's a full description of the teenage protagonist getting raped.

kiwialexa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

hannahrhian's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

amber_lfor's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

Stunning book, and what an ending!

scrumblebooks's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

This is a brutal, dark, emotional read based, in part, on real people and events. A harrowing tale of life for women in 17th century Norway and how any misdeed or slip of the tongue could land you in serious peril. Difficult to read at times, though definitely worthwhile and the addition of occasional small folk tales and myths as well as hints of magical realism were welcome. I would certainly recommend this insightful book, although I would line up something decidedly lighter and altogether fluffier to read next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Infertility, Blood, and Pregnancy

madamelacy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

A powerful, exhilarating read. I felt so angry at the way men treated women who weren’t submissive enough, as they were so afraid of the women’s power. However, the female characters all find a way of being, beyond the control of men.

This book was beautifully written and I could absolutely imagine the landscape, freezing weather, dirt and foul smells! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail