Reviews tagging 'Violence'

White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

7 reviews

lateromantic's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

This book is fantastic!! It's poetry, it's dark academia, it's halloweeny, it's across multiple cultures, it's impossible to pin down. Loved it. Do not read if you can't take food / eating / eating disorder content though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

Minor: Drug use, Hate crime, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, and Alcohol

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, Gore, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and War

traa's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, and Blood

Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Dysphoria

Minor: Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

headachesince03's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Gore, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, and War

Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Xenophobia, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

readerette's review against another edition

I loved Gingerbread in all its quirky glory, but White is for Witching held no charm for me. None of the characters have any warmth, and though they are interesting, I have no investment in the story or their lives because they just seem detached from anything meaningful or good. I have a feeling the second half of the book would remedy some of that but not enough faith or energy to find out. I'm also not impressed that one of the only Black characters to get close to the main character is disturbingly close to the Magic Negro stereotype.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder and Death of parent

Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abandonment, and Alcohol

falcc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

2.0

Firstly I should say that while I did not enjoy this book, the author is clearly a talented writer and I don't want to discourage anyone from her other work. However, White is for Witching is a slog.

The characters in this book - apart from Ore and Sade, who are genuinely great and trying their best - are extremely unpleasant people that it's hard to spend time with. The story drags on until the Ore portions in the second half of the book, and that story is about gradually degrading any sympathy you might initially have for the other characters. Most of the real plot happens in the last 50 pages or so and feels both rushed and unfinished. I spent large portions of my reading experience just inwardly shouting for characters to TALK TO EACH OTHER about what they're feeling and left disappointed and frustrated.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Racism, Self harm, and Violence

Minor: Incest

gwynsvan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, and Blood

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Xenophobia, and Grief