Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht

23 reviews

polterbooks's review

This reads like bad fanfic and the characters are boring.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

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.

tamara_joy's review

dark medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Murder, Toxic friendship, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body horror, Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Excrement

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

scottsland_yard's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

I was excited to read this after finding a signed copy in a local bookshop, though I was a little let down once actually reading it. Though at times I found the characters fun/likeable at times, the majority of the time I was too busy trying to figure out what was going on with the plot (and not in a fun mystery way) 

The plot line is convoluted and difficult to follow, the characters come across as a bit try-hard edgy (though they do have their moments), and the world building is lacking in substance and clear rules, especially around the use of magic. 

It reads like a Sweeney Todd fan adapted a fanfiction, which is unfortunate. 

That being said, it's definitely not the worst thing I've read, and I'm sure some would find it quite enjoyable. It's fantastical and gory, and it's a huge bonus that the main two characters are gay. Or at least, into each other. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

virgilsinferno's review against another edition

dark funny fast-paced

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

5.0

Absolutely enjoyable! The primary characters are fun even if absolutely horrific. I had a real good time with this!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence

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

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

the_bookish_witch's review

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Self harm, Sexual violence, Violence, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic