Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

The Awakening by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

28 reviews

misplacedamygdala's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Is the writing good? No. 
Did I eat it up anyways? Absolutely.
This gave me Winx vibes, I loved Winx as a kid (still do). There were a few too many cringe moments but I still enjoyed it. I will continue the series. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment

earlieststar's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

im cringe but im free

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Car accident, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

listen: it is described as bully romance but these girls get absolutely very much abused from beginning to end. it's not schoolyard bullying, those are crimes being committed every other page.

cait's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

nineinchnails's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

the writing style/prose is somewhat juvenile and wattpad-esque (i'm familiar with it from devouring brutal boys of everlake prep in november so it's not too jarring) however every time i was forced to put this down i was itching to pick it back up. it's definitely laced with something. the worldbuilding was super fun and interesting to read despite clearly pulling inspiration from other sources. everything gets revealed at a steady pace so even though it's a lot to juggle with i think they managed to pull it off; there's the magic academy thing (sorted by houses), elemental magic, fae orders, and probably more i'm missing at the moment. the world is super addictive for me but i could be biased because i fell in love with harry potter when i was 7 and that probably permanently altered my brain chemistry. this feels like a fusion of harry potter, the cruel prince, and winx club but adult and it's so captivating. it reminds me a little of the magicians tv show too (haven't read the books yet which is probably a cardinal sin) because it's an academy for adults but it's not quite as dark and satirical in tone imo.

the pacing probably isn't for everyone since the book moves pretty slowly but it focuses on character development and worldbuilding which is definitely my preference in fantasy. it makes me kinda wish we had chapters from the boys' pov but i'm hoping we'll get that in at least one of the later books. the pov being split between both twins might be annoying too since i did struggle remembering where one twin left off in their last chapter occasionally but they're both distinct enough for me to know who's chapter is whose so it could be a lot worse. considering how long this book is i should be pissed that barely any action happens but idk what to say it's like crack and it definitely didn't feel 400+ pages long. i really liked the characterisation of the twins and more importantly their relationship - it didn't ever get ugly between the two of them. despite all the shit they went through and the manipulation they faced they didn't let anything come between the two of them and it was really sweet. it kinda reminded me of my own relationships with my sisters (when we aren't at each others throats over stealing clothes or something) and felt realistic in that the traumatic shit we went through only made us more loyal and protective of each other instead of competitive.

there's probably more to say but it's nearly 1am and my brain is failing me so to conclude: this book is super OTT and you absolutely will get secondhand embarrassment but if you can suspend your disbelief (and have heeded the trigger warnings) you'll probably love it just for the pure entertainment. yes this book is unserious as fuck but i am seated!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual content, Violence, and Car accident

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment

attempted murder

, student/teacher relationship, dubcon, noncon

hchaus21's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

milla_b's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

This is my first proper adventure into bully romance (The cruel prince was a toe in the water) and parts were a bit tough to swallow. I am curious to see how the relationships play out and how they move on especially after the the events book 1 left off from. 

Things I liked: 
• the storyline- really want to know more. And there’s a huge world that you’re being introduced to and I can’t help but want to know more about it beyond the Acadamy. 
• I like the characters and especially the twins 
• I’m on the fence about the Heirs, but not in the way that I don’t want to read about them, because I clearly have a thing for morally questionable characters….. 

Things that bugged me (but not enough to put me off):
• some of the writing, past and present tense. Some minor grammar errors and I think American idioms…..  idioms are not deal breakers but some are just personally a tad annoying for me. 

Overall I enjoyed it and will continue the series. Read it yourself and make up your own mind. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying

Moderate: Cursing and Gaslighting

Minor: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

nordicat's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Violence and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Incest, Death of parent, and Abandonment

hannahwriightt's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Moderate: Incest, Sexual content, and Murder

Minor: Body shaming and Car accident

thechaoshour's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

I love the general idea of this book but it was executed poorly. The characters were unlikeable and I found the plot slow and boring. It was just a lot of bullying and abuse from the Heirs and not much plot. Plus the writing was not good and it needs some new editing but as I understand it, this book was earlier in their careers. I’m curious enough to keep reading for now in hopes they get better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism

nickyz's review against another edition

dark funny tense slow-paced

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

1.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Body shaming, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent