Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

The Witches of Vardø by Anya Bergman

8 reviews

sstacey4's review against another edition

challenging dark informative 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Animal death

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

batbaby's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

It is such a beautiful book and one I’ll carry with me, there are such sad and graphic scenes but so thoughtfully and well written

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual content

Set during witch trials so comes with the upset and mistreatment of women associated with these times, fairly scary upsetting sexual assault of a minor page number in spoiler

page 260-264, it is mentioned maybe twice after that but not in graphic detail

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

vbzshenanigans's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Classism

na_no's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Suicide, Torture, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Domestic abuse

writingcaia's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

This is a haunting slow paced fictional tale inspired by the real persecution, and murder of those considered witches in Vardø in the 17th century.
The superstition so far north in the kingdom of Denmark and Norway was kindling for the fires that burned so many innocent women, children and the ones, like the semi-nomadic sámi, that didn’t fit, that worshiped other gods.
Here we have a mix of past and present women’s strife in a lyrical narrative telling the interwoven story of a three women and three children arrested for being witches, and that of one noblewoman sharing the same castle exiled by the king for being too outspoken and not going into the shadows as old women are meant to.
The story is told in mostly two POVs, that of one of the teens, sister and daughter of other accused, and the other the noblewoman’s. With some Nordic stories in between parts.
As the author says this book is one to give voice to the thousands of innocents murdered by the fearful, hateful and petty that manipulated the minds of the superstitious and aggrieved, and to make them echo into the present and future, forever living in the hearts of the people like them.
It’s slow going especially in the beginning but so worth it to push forth and dive into this dark, cold, violent, vibrant and fiery story where women suffer, die, but also persist and find happiness, searching inside for their inner lynx, their fierceness and royal-ness.



P. S.: The mention to the Sámi made me research them and find they’ve been always persecuted and pushed to conversations, it made me want to find more and read from their natives and hear their songs. To make their voice heard louder. They who’ve withstand, these natives to the Laplands with their gods and reindeers, with their songs and colors.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Hate crime, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual violence, and Torture

Minor: Animal cruelty

swalk's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

Set in the 1660’s, Anya Bergman weaves an epic tale of poverty, prejudice and oppression in the bitter climate of Northernmost Norway. Based on real characters and events, this story illustrates the exile, torture and maltreatment of women accused of witchcraft at the time.  
 
 The tale is told from dual perspectives; firstly that of Fru Anna Rhodius, a women of medicine and herbology, as she diarises her life in letters to her past lover and now captor King Fredrik.of Finnmark.

Secondly Ingeborg, a young woman from a fishing family, daughter of Zigri and elder sister of Kirsten. Ingeborg tries to her utmost provide for her family and keep them safe from harm with the help of her strong and devoted cousin Marin. 

 

These women’s stories become enmeshed as they fail to be confined by the expectations of society, and are deemed to be witches by the men in power.

I found this book a little hard to follow at first due to the dual viewpoints and working out the family dynamics, but once I got into the rhythm of the book and the stories began to converge I really became invested in the characters, however flawed they may be.
 
 The narrator is excellent and conveys the dark and atmospheric mood of the writing very well giving a great performance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Violence, and Death of parent