Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Dracula by Bram Stoker

5 reviews

mattiedancer's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

Writing: 4⭐️/5 

While Stoker is a fantastic writer (the book is a classic for a reason), so much attention was given to the smallest details that the book dragged in portions where it didn’t need to. I thoroughly believe this is a situation in which the prominent style has changed so much over the years that it’s hard to appreciate the detail without feeling it’s too much and unnecessary. That being said when the writing hit, it hit strong and fast, making it an overall well-written read. 

Characters: 4.5⭐️/5

I did enjoy the development of the characters. While the women, though interesting, were reduced in many ways to trope-like behaviours, the characters did feel alive and vibrant during the tale. In many moments, I appreciated the attention to detail for each character, as well as the uniqueness provided by their own voice, which always came through in the writing.

Plot: 4⭐️/5 

**SPOILERS HERE**

It’s the tale of Dracula – the original vampire. And yet, during the climax of the story, I felt disappointed in how little attention was given to his death. I felt the story dragged so much in sections that the plot suffered, the events pulled too far apart to keep enough tension present – or as much tension as I wanted. That being said, the story was still entertaining and intriguing, just long-winded and slow-paced.

Who Should Read This Book? 

• Fans of classic fiction and gothic literature
• Those looking to appreciate a slow read

Content Warnings? 

• Misogyny, sexism, classism, death of a parent, death, illness, toxic relationships, blood, gore, death of a child, murder

Post-Reading Rating:  3⭐️/5

I felt let down by the ending, personally, even if it did wrap things up relatively nicely.

Final Rating: 3.75⭐️/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexism, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Death of parent, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Animal death, and Child death

amandawie's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Gore

Moderate: Confinement, Death, and Emotional abuse

sunny_not's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

At times it was very very bleak and I really didn't wanted to continue it. However, as I read more of it I became more invested in the story and I cared about some of the characters which also made me enjoy the story more. Still I really didn't like the ending, it felt super rushed and I felt like even Bram Stoker himself was like "Let's finish this I'm bored".

Spoiler

It was like boom Dracula dies boom Quiencey also died, boom years have passed and Jonathan and Mina have a boy called Quincey now. The End.

After all that epic build up I would've wanted a lot more pay off. Also this was definitely of its time with all the racial stereotyping and gender roles. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism

Moderate: Sexism and Misogyny

mme_carton's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Xenophobia, Confinement, Grief, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Ableism

Moderate: Cannibalism and Gaslighting

Minor: Gun violence

vivmorris's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death, and Body horror