Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Luster by Raven Leilani

86 reviews

lilyblum's review against another edition

3.0

This book was nothing like how I had imagined it to be. I thought it was going to be spicey, steamy and chaotic, however, it was depressing, messy and tense. 
I felt so sorry for Edie and I would not have been able to handle her life circumstances. So in a sense this book was written so well that it made me feel a lot, even if negative emotions. Edie reminded me of that one woman in Cleopatra and Frankenstein and the dreamlike story telling of the one in Hot Milk. Messy, flawed and broken female characters seem to be on my radar lately. I despised Eric and felt ambiguous about Rebecca -as you are supposed to probably- but felt so much gentleness for Akila. 
A short and confusing read, not sure if I’d recommend it but definitely look up trigger warnings in advance!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Pregnancy

jessicaapenny21's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

Every time I opened this book, I wanted to give up on it. I found the narrator unbearable- her apathy was exhausting. The cover promised a funny, sexy book but I just felt depressed reading it. That said, I would still give Leilani's other work a go as I enjoyed their writing. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual violence, and Abortion

jtouchard23's review against another edition

I just couldn’t relate to this character. I was all in at first but then when there was a certain sex scene it just turned me off. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence

Moderate: Sexual content

al_davies's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

lindsaylhunter's review

dark funny reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

The truth is that when the officer had his arm pressed into my neck, there was a part of me that felt like, all right. Like, fine. Because there will always be a part of me that is ready to die.

I can't figure out how I feel about this one! The author has a subtly humourous style to her writing and I absolutely loved the pacing of the first half. But the second half noted a very harsh change in pace, a bit like wading through treacle.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual violence

kjofalltrades's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Abortion, and Alcohol

Moderate: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Vomit

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, and Drug use

esmem's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual violence and Abortion

poenaestante's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

The book hooked me in from the very first page. I had no clue what this book was about when I picked it up from ny neighbor's community library box, and I'm rarely a fiction reader but I do have time for black authors. This book was so novel and arresting that I can't wait to see what the author does next

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Content Warnings

Minor: Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Police brutality

bowelhaus's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, Police brutality, and Abortion

alessaaa38's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.75

This book made me feel uncomfortable and confused, but it made me feel something. Not often can books make you have such a strong feeling. 
The lengthy run on sentences catered to the main character's delusion (not the right word) and really helped it build her. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Abortion

Minor: Suicide