Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Wicked and the Willing by Lianyu Tan

6 reviews

the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-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? Yes

3.5

The things I liked about this story, I loved. But the things I disliked, I hated. 

The metaphors comparing the vampire and abusive partner to imperialism and white supremacy are brilliant and expertly crafted. I was really compelled by how deeply this story reached into that narrative to criticize the imperial system and how you may think you're immune to its harms when you're really another victim. ("She needs me." "She needs someone like you" will live in my head rent-free forever). This metaphor also explored abusive relationships in a similar way with thinking that you will never become the victim of their rage because you're unique, but truly you're just convenient at the moment. Just truly well-done.

With this being said, the gratuitous and graphic sexual violence was almost made to feel "sexy" in a way that felt deeply upsetting.

The non consensual fisting scene goes on for pages and doesn't serve any real and meaningful purpose for the story. By going so into detail with it, it was hard to differentiate it from the other consensual sexual scenes. Focusing on the unwilling orgasms taking place during the rape also seemed to be "sexy" instead of upsetting as they should have been.

Additionally, the torture chapter felt pointless in the greater narrative and, to me, mainly served to add a "horror" element without really furthering the story. It was graphic and hard to sit through, but I admit this might be my personal taste.

If you are interested a heavy and dark book in terms of violence and can handle a lot of graphic sexual violence, you might like this story more than I did. I have high hopes for future works of the author's, and I think the author is supremely talented. I just would like to see some care in the way certain kinds of violence are addressed through these stories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Pedophilia

dantew's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-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: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Rape

Minor: Child abuse

mitzee's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Rating this book is hard because its primary characters are all women and gender minorities, it’s great to see that representation in the romantasy (romance+fantasy) genre especially the spicy scenes. I guess it’s also horror, as the cover says. 

On the other hand the levels of abuse are so shocking that I’m not even sure if this is the kind of representation we want. 

I did like the surprise ending though. I suppose I would generally recommend this book with major caveats about the explicit sexual content and abuse.

Summary for my own records:

The relationship between Verity Edervane and Gean Choo goes from new lady’s maid to servant and sex toy. There are a lot of layers to their relationship from race and class , master and servant, and abuser and abused but in a love/hate relationship - or maybe just a confused abused person. 

The relationship between Gean Choo and Po Lam is one that is a little easier to take but also feels so straight, it’s a little bit annoying because they have had such few interactions with each other it’s like “how could they like each other so much?” Maybe it’s a shred trauma thing. 

Anyway, at the end you get to pick which ending you want. It can be nice or mysteriously awful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Suicide, and Murder

Minor: Child death and Gun violence

The type of sexual assault is

by a woman to another woman if that makes a different for you

alt_air's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Racial slurs

Minor: Child abuse

readsbymoonlight's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, and Classism

nittiotvaan's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug use, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Cannibalism

Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, and Colonisation