Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson

15 reviews

bella_finlayson's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-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? No

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Gaslighting

chanlo1994's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I've been done got by the plot. That's all I'm going to say on that lol.

This book's theme focuses on the eternal struggle between men and women. There's a lot of reflection on both prospectives, irregardless if they are right or wrong, especially when discussing the dynamic within a modern day setting.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Genocide, Trafficking, and War

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Racism, and Self harm

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.5

I really liked this right up until the last two pages when it went off the rails. Like the book that preceded it, it was enjoyable and entertaining. The writing was smooth and drew me in rather than complex and dense. It seemed more like YA fare but with non-YA explicit sex scenes. 

We learn a lot more about the character Ciara who was only briefly noted in the first book, and we gradually learn her history. She’s presented as a sympathetic character here although she was distinctly unlikable when introduced. 

I found this book too manipulative and preachy. I agree with everything the author is saying but I prefer to figure things out on my own. That said, I did appreciate the clear references to our divided society, conservative and xenophobic nationalism versus liberal acceptance and globalism. It was still too heavy-handed, though. Ultimately somewhat disappointing, mostly due to the ending. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

ashley_reya's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

Thoroughly enjoyed this continuation of my favorite coven. Just when I think Dawson is gonna zig, the story zags!

If you enjoy tales of complex friendships, magic, and fighting the patriarchy then you will love this series.

Looking forward to the next installment whenever it arrives! Cannot wait to see how this all goes with Theo, Niamh, & Ciara 👀✨

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Infidelity, Slavery, Trafficking, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Miscarriage

minervacerridwen's review against another edition

dark lighthearted mysterious relaxing tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Just like Her Majesty's Royal Coven, this was a fast-paced read with spy movie elements in a magical world. I did feel like it dragged a bit in the middle of the book, though the point-of-view changes helped to keep me intrigued about other things that were going on enough to keep reading. Overall the atmosphere was a little darker and less magical, with more focus on characters fucking each other over than on sisterhood (which makes sense, considering the new main character, but also made it a little less appealing to dive back in after a reading break). The pacing of the ending was a lot more satisfying to me than in the first book, and once again there were some interesting twists to make me very curious about the next part!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Racism, Blood, Abandonment, and Alcohol

wallflovver's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

despite everything, i loved ciara.. i loved her, i cried for her and i (unfortunately) related to her.

i gave this a lower rating than HMRC, because i think there's a lot more i dislike about the sequel compared to the first book in this series.. but nevertheless it was a wild ride and seeing the story unfold had me gripped!

i will absolutely be tuning into the final installment, im very excited for it! 

ciara i love you and you've never done anything wrong x

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and War

thebuzzcutreads_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death and Abortion

imds's review against another edition

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

rabelais's review

3.0

the underlying premise of magic continues to be transmisogynistic. why? why is it necessary to require the entire existence of the world to be based on transmisogyny??? 🤬

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism

keya_caivalur's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and War

Minor: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Genocide, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Car accident, Death of parent, and Abandonment