Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden

6 reviews

saintyeehaw's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I came into this book expecting a first person narrative focused on the female lead (similar to Uprooted) so it took me some time to get adjusted to the ever shifting perspectives. There were many times when I found myself waiting for the story to actually get going, which made chapters like Pyotr and his sons' visit to Moscow especially sluggish for me. Overall though, once the story got going I was all in. I loved Vasya's relationships with the different creatures, the characterization of Morozko, and the sheer evil/selfishness of the antagonists . I am definitely going to continue the series.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, and Vomit

reddeddy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Death of parent, Violence, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Classism, Death, Injury/injury detail, and Misogyny

Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, Child abuse, Gore, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Blood, and Animal death

Minor: Body horror, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Body shaming

galactic_gigi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

I picked this book up not knowing what I was getting into. And I couldn’t stop. I was glad that I had nothing else to do today, because I kept reading until I finished the book. The new year is just hours away and the cold air outside set the mood perfectly.
Normally I don‘t really read slow-paced books, but this one is special. It‘s like being transported into a cold winter night to the hearth of a home and listening to nearly forgotten tales. 
I don‘t know how to describe this feeling but it was whimsical and nostalgic all the while keeping me entranced to this glorious piece of storytelling. I‘m completely speechless. I wasn’t expecting much and now I‘m left overwhelmed with the urgent need to get my hands on the next book. 
It’s nearly 3 a.m. and I should probably go to sleep but I can still see the snow falling silently in a long winter’s night. Have you ever watched Narnia as a kid? I’m inbetween the trees and the coats and haven’t yet fully recovered my sense of reality. 

So in case you are like me and can’t wait to be transported into a different universe, you should definitely go and read this book! 
(While I‘m going to sleep)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Rape, Body shaming, and Child death

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

4.0

A girl finds that she can see creatures out of forgotten folklore. This, she keeps secret so that nobody accuses her of acts against their new religion and god. Later, a combination of forgetting the old myths and one man’s need to feel exalted above all others leads to deadly trouble that only she is positioned to deal with . 

I love books like this, that use existing mythology and folklore. This book uses Russian folklore to create a magical setting filled with helpful spirits that tend the home or stable, or steward the forest, all only visible to certain lucky people. There's a lot of religious scapegoatting in this book, and overall the book didn't capture my attention as well as I thought it would, but I enjoyed it well enough. I gave it a 4 star review, but ultimately felt so-so about it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Violence

Minor: Forced institutionalization

kestrel's review

adventurous emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, and Child death

Minor: Animal cruelty and Body shaming

gabbygarcia's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.5

This book has been on my list for a little while now, and I am so glad that I read it. It is such a cozy book and a great winter read. I particularly loved how the author shifted frequently to different points of view.  Even in dislikable characters, you got a strong sense of their motives, fears, desires, etc. Every character felt human (well, the human ones, at least). It is in many ways a tragic story and hard to read at moments, but I really loved it. Enjoyed learning a bit about Russian folklore and all the ways in which the mythology of the place shaped and was shaped by each character. Looking forward to picking up the sequel. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

Minor: Body shaming