Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Koodinimi Alice by Kate Quinn

8 reviews

fkshg8465's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

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

2.75

I should really stop reading Kate Quinn. I keep trying to like her books, but I'm consistently bored by them. I think it's because this and the other two I read (The Rose Code and The Diamond Eye) are all set around the same time - during, between, or after one of the world wars. I'm guessing this is her niche - world war historical fiction. I don't love the historical fiction around this time in general. I also have found myself failing to invest in any of the characters. I think I like the story arcs, but I don't feel connected to the people in the stories because I feel her storytelling is flat.

Unfortunately, I have one book of hers left to read - The Phoenix Crown, which I won in a Goodreads giveaway. At least this one is cowritten with Janie Chang. Maybe that'll be the one that I like. Nonetheless, I'll wait a while before jumping back into Kate Quinn.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

kiwialexa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

saliwali's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

emmehooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

I was not expecting to so throughly enjoy this book! Badass women spies, badass women defying social convention. The dual timelines wove together beautifully, there was just enough truth in the fiction to keep me interested, and I appreciated that most of the characters were “fallen” people by society’s standards. Absolutely would read another book by Kate Quinn or on this subject.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Torture, Violence, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and War

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

cadybooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

madmantha's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

Beginning was a bit slow for me but once it really begins to pick up, it does not stop. 
Both narratives blend together seamlessly in the final arc; everything comes full circle.
One of my favorite epilogues ever written; really pulled on the heart-strings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Eating disorder, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Stalking, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry

karolinaz's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Excrement, Vomit, and Classism

chalkletters's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

In the four years since I last read The Alice Network, I’d managed to forget almost everything. I remembered Eve spying in German-occupied Lille, but I’d completely wiped Charlie, her quest to find her cousin and her romance with Finn from my memory. That’s not a reflection of their relative merits, because both the 1915 and 1947 plots have incredibly compelling moments. It might simply be that the title reminds me of the WWI timeline, making it easier to call to mind.

It’s surprising that I’d forgotten Charlie, as she definitely undergoes the most positive character development over the course of The Alice Network, and that’s usually something I enjoy! Her evolution from obedient daughter to defiant bookkeeper certainly feels earned, though I did notice a bit more telling than showing at times, particularly towards the end. 

Kate Quinn handles the plot excellently: there are moments of creeping horror, triumph and shock, and she does an excellent job of balancing the two timelines, keeping both interesting and engaging to the last. The ending is lovely, wrapping everything up and giving a sense of hope for the characters we’ve invested so much time in. Kate Quinn’s prose is consistently effective, with some really lovely moments, especially describing the flower fields in Grasse.

I don’t know if The Alice Network is something I’ll want to revisit again, but I’d definitely read more by Kate Quinn.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Medical trauma, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury