Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor

15 reviews

alaris's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

If this was fantasy, it'd seem like "grimdark" would fit, but this is just bleak drama. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Violence, and Toxic friendship

heartofoak1's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Dark themes, violence, rape, drugs. Hard to stomach. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War, and Classism

faehistory's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

3.0

A decent enough story and very well written but ultimately not terribly unique story if I'm being honest. Especially disappointing was the character of Neda feels particuarly wasted and her narrative feels like it simply stops abruptly with no resolution or message. It's not a bad story by any means it just didn't feel massively new. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Abortion

alleahwebb's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Car accident, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual violence and Blood

Minor: Rape, Trafficking, and Abortion

caillte's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

Minor: Abortion

bootsmom3's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Abortion

meaghanslibrary's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes

1.75

This book started out alright with Ajay’s point of view. It was interesting to enter that world. But the second or third parts of the book were different points of view that I didn’t care for, I think it might be because the characters didn’t have redeeming qualities. 

It really felt the author was trying to do too much. Especially with trying to change the writing styles to poems when Sunny is being beaten up.

I did not get the ending at all, I was hoping it would redeem reading this long book, but it fell very flat.

I think maybe this book was more written like it was ready to be a screenplay for a movie because some parts felt so choppy. 

I feel like the book could have been good and had such good reviews but I’m very disappointed because it was so long and I just don’t get what the purpose of the book was at the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

2.75

This was insightful to early 21st century India issues that still spread out and rot its society today, although some parts can come off as trauma/poverty porn and there's some graphic, gratuitous prison sexual violence for really immersive bleakness. Neda's, and especially, Sunil Rastogi's sections to me were wholly unnecessary. A lot of the book is superfluous for that matter and at the 84% mark jumbled and unraveled to nonsense. But I liked taking the time to google the cuisine mentioned throughout that made my mouth water and for what it's worth Sunny Wadia's character and the story were entertaining but this is a big book physicall but not very grand in style or writing despite the intent.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Suicide, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy

bigbizliz1991's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and Toxic friendship

litletters's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Car accident, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism