Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht

16 reviews

sprocketwocket's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

Aside from the (pretty graphic) content that feels present for shock value, I found the majority of the prose and plot really engaging, but disliked the ending so much i almost regretted reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Literally right in the first couple pages with it.

itshrewsbury's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

I really, REALLY want to give this book 5 stars. The atmosphere, the concept, the world building are all really interesting and fresh, I just remain confused about some finer points of johann’s lore and the magic system of elendhaven, and that ultimately is stopping it from 5. This book isn’t marketed as lgbt at all (and really, this is a horror book, not a romance, so that makes perfect sense), so the MC’s being in a little entanglement was so thrilling when it first is hinted at! I loved it! I really was rooting for johann and Florian to succeed in their endeavors, even though their goal is…less than desirable lol 
The voice work of the audiobook is REALLY good, especially with johann sounding like a certain lovable ghoul from fallout 4. 

TW/CW: violence, gore, murder, child abuse, sexual assault, implied statutory rape, child death, epidemic, nsfw content, drug use (alcohol, tobacco)

“Magic isn’t in the brain, miss. It’s in the bones.” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Violence

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

spadedigsbutts's review

dark mysterious 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Incest, Xenophobia, and Classism

ellington_rist's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Rape, Blood, Medical trauma, and Murder

Minor: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Incest, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

briarcrawford's review

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, and Self harm

tinyjude's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

From the get go I fell in love with the atmosphere the author transports us into. The gothic vibes, the gorey and unhinged characters, the gruesome and fatally flawed (aka toxic) situations situasionship these two has going on. It reminded me of Bloodborne or Dishonored in some aspects, either by the vibes and monstruousity in it all, or the revenge at all costs plotline. I loved the writing too, hollow and haunting, full of imagery that surely clicks much better on a second read. The descriptions of the characters and the mythical aspect of the city, with us as spectators rooted in the city yet still watching everything unfold from a deep mist that clouds our perceptions in the same way the sorcerer manipulates everyone here. The idea of a master-monster also reminded me a lot of Frankenstein, although both stories differ in a lot of aspects. Nonetheless, I believe it's a gritty novella perfect for when you are in the mood to read dark, gory, stuff like for Halloween, and be left wondering about the world a little bit (a sense of acrid lingering that follows you around like the shadow of Elendhaven.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Self harm, Torture, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Incest

bitter_rabbit's review

dark mysterious reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Body horror, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Blood, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Child abuse

tey_lynn's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

onemamareads's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Read my full review here: https://onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews/the-monster-of-elendhaven

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual violence

theghostly's review

I was excited to read this because I was expecting an atmospheric and mysterious story but instead it came across as an overly edgy fan fiction written by some teenage girl who thinks a tall guy forcing himself on a “smol bean uwu” is the hottest thing ever. Very much not for me but i’m happy for anyone that did enjoy it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Gore, Incest, and Violence