Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson

6 reviews

bzliz's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.75

Myra is an artist known as a Prodigy- someone who can use art combined with magic to alter reality, like healing a wound, changing their hair color, and maybe even bringing them back from the dead. Her parents have been missing for a long time and she’s struggling to make ends meet while caring for her chronically ill sister Lucy. When the governor’s wife shows up at the art studio she works at, Myra accepts her offer to come bring her dead son back to life, but not everything is as it seems at the governor’s manor. 

Olson blends a unique magical system with lovable characters and just the right amount of regency style will they-won’t they between Myra and the governor’s other son August. I highly recommend for anyone who is looking for a historical fantasy wrapped up in a murder mystery. 

Spoilers for the ending:

Spoiler

I did not see that twist coming at all. I was convinced that Vincent and Nigel were co-conspirators but I never could have guessed that they were the same person magically disguised. Even as Vincent was beginning his villain monologue, I thought he was a secret third son that the Harris family has cast aside. I’m still in shock that he was actually Will all along.

 

Mind the content warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Death, Murder, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Medical content

vivavia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Chronic illness, Classism, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Blood, and Panic attacks/disorders

ofpagesandink's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

This book is heavy and dark. It's mysterious and beautiful. Jessica Olson is so descriptive with her work it's like you're there. 

So many twists and turns and it really kept me guessing. Nothing felt obvious or used as just a way to drive the plot. Everything was well planned and well executed.

Pacing was great. A good mix of slow where necessary and fast when needed. 

The magic is balanced and there is growth and character development. There are lessons to be learned here. I really enjoyed this read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Miscarriage, and Medical content

Moderate: Gaslighting, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Grief

Minor: Child death, Grief, Pregnancy, Classism, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

paracosim's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

I’m shocked by how much I enjoyed this book. I couldn’t stop reading it! I was on the edge of my seat most of the time and couldn’t stop wondering who the murderer was; it even haunted my dreams.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Chronic illness, Torture, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Kidnapping, Murder, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Classism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Death of parent

Minor: Miscarriage, Vomit, Medical content, and Trafficking

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-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

3.5

I 100% see the comparison to Stalking Jack the Ripper in this book! It's definitely a read-a-like I would use. My favorite thing about this was probably the magic system. I loved that it was art based and it just felt so unique to me. Myra's journey with her own magic also helped in driving the story forward, and I appreciated the way she eventually came to accept it. It felt natural and realistic for the world and I loved every moment of it.

The driving mystery behind the story was also effective, even if I found pieces of the mystery a bit predictable. There was definitely an overall atmsophere of mystery, which also helped in adding to the world building and the overall atmosphere of the book. Also, unreleated, but lately I've been reading a lot of painting books and I really should get back into painting.

All in all, if you're looking for a new, twisty fantasy mystery, definitely check out this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Blood

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, and Miscarriage

Minor: Death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

urlocalvocaloidstan's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

 This book was an absolute page turner and addicting from the beginning to the end. The plot did get a tiny bit predictable but the reveal at the end was completely unexpected and it was a mystery trope that has never been heard of before. Myra and the other characters were written very well and their feelings and reactions to certain events felt very rational and impactful. The romance between Myra and August was very messy and complicated and had its struggles, just like a real relationship. Lucy was a little bit too mature for a 13-year-old, but her experience with chronic illness and the fact that she pushes past it shows that she is very resilient, and her sister relationship with Myra is hilarious and those two would do absolutely anything for each other. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Torture