Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

12 reviews

lavienne's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Infertility, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Blood, Dementia, and Abandonment

kristinj1's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

5.0

I went back and forth on giving this book 5 stars, or 4.75 stars. I tore through it in three days and felt like I saw pieces of myself in the main character - and, honestly, I have no quibbles with how it was written. So I landed on 5 stars, even though I think I hated some of the story. The sexual abuse of kids by adults and by a stepbrother was really, really terrible to read. I'm glad the author didn't dwell on it in the writing in order to traumatize all of their readers, yet I am still questioning if something that clearly has such a major impact on the main character's life (not to mention her mother's before her) should have had more time devoted to it in the writing? But that becomes dangerously close to trauma porn, which would mean that's all I remember from this book. By tucking it away in our main character's mind, it also tucked it away in our mind. Still flagging there, causing an irritation whenever you went across it, still making itself known. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Miscarriage, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment

fabi1998's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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: Cancer, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

thewordapothecary's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Mostly I’m just confused. Why the hell did I just read an entire book to basically have no closure for the main plot. There’s unnecessary trauma included in the book that totally could’ve been left out. Elle is the unluckiest character, and I know that bad things happen to lots of people… but her life was one bad thing after the other. She’s a bad person. The one good thing that’s ever happened in her life and she acts like she could easily give it up. The only thing saving this book from a one star is the last handful of chapters and even that is a stretch. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

saoreads's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

It's amusing how the journey went from initially disliking the main character to gradually rooting for her, but not really (picky on some parts). There are reasons behind every action and the subsequent consequences, regardless of how positive or dire they may be. If it's not you fulfilling something in that life, something is bound to happen. The subtleties throughout the book, along with metaphors leading up to the years portrayed, shed light on generational patterns. Ultimately, it's her choice, and the outcome remains uncertain. The ending brings about new beginnings—whether good or bad, it could be either or even both.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

jayjm94's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

It’s a beautifully written, emotional novel about love, marriage, family, violence and a very old beach home. I read it in about 24 hours, I couldn’t put it down from the first line. With that said the plot is winding, tense, and brutal at times. I never felt like the upsetting scenes were overwrought though. The main character is flawed and makes a series of choices throughout the novel that ultimately come to make perfect sense. The ending is ambiguous, but I enjoyed it and felt it was earned.  To read this book in a beach house or even on a lake would be divine. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, and Incest

Minor: Mental illness and Murder

jahncie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

kfquarium's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Incest, Terminal illness, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Bullying, Blood, and Excrement

lindsayhotrod's review

dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, and Stalking

Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Blood, and Dementia

paulabekkerus's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment