Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek

5 reviews

baileymalaylee's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Loved everything about this from the endearing characters to the unsettling folktale vibes. Can NOT believe this was a debut novel

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Death of parent

Minor: Body horror

alexijai98's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.5

Was going to give this less than 3 stars but it did nearly bring me to tears at the end so! Overall a fine read, if you’re a fan of Hannah Whitten’s For the Wolf you’d enjoy this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Sexism and Religious bigotry

Minor: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

lkristin2018's review against another edition

dark sad 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

2.0

Certainly it was a compelling dark, folk-tale like story.  However, the combination of the main character being a minor, and her love interest being a 700 demon whose pet nickname for her was a put-down did not work for me.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content

I did not like how the author portrayed suicide as a noble act. Suicide is a top cause of teenage death, and this romanticizes it.

mzquirk's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gore, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

creolelitbelle's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

I love dark fantasy stories and fairy tale/legend/folklore retellings; this book does those aspects great justice. Prior to reading it, I was unfamiliar with Slavic tales aside from Baba Yaga, about who I recently checked out a modernized retelling. The gods of Leszy and Veles (spelled Weles in the book) feature prominently, and the protagonist's name, Liska (Czech or Slavic for "fox") epitomizes her character and physical traits. Throughout my reading, I found myself looking up concepts like Kupala Night and those various Slavic names to better understand the foundation of the novel, but knowing the background is not necessary to enjoying the narrative. I do think that the book could be enhanced with a little information at the end about the Slavic culture and how it relates to the plot and characters. For those who want to discover more about the originating culture, having that resources handy would be super convenient.

Liska's motivations entirely understandable, even if she diverts almost immediately off the forest path, a foreboding act in any dark fantasy or fairy tale, going back to "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Hansel and Gretel". The Leszy is harsh but mysterious and kind enough that I kept wanting to discover more about him and the house with Liska. Actions are committed rashly at times, but that is to be expected for a teenager and by superstitious villagers that run high on emotions regarding magic and witchcraft. The ending left me wanting more, wishing for one more page, but the note it dropped on provides hope. I loved how well multiple pieces of Slavic culture were woven into the book without my feeling lost or overwhelmed. I definitely recommend. This could be a wonderful book for spooky fall vibes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Blood

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Death of parent