Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

75 reviews

meganpbell's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

If slow and deadly is your poison, pick up this sumptuous, gothic fairy tale. Chokshi’s flowery prose hides teeth, claws, and a dark heart bloody with not only the fairy tales we tell each other and the secrets we keep from ourselves, but the wild reckless hope of being loved when the truth’s laid bare. This was darker than I expected and reminded me of Addie LaRue in its romance and pacing, which isn’t a great thing for me but others might love!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Toxic relationship, Child death, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Bullying, Death, Child abuse, Alcohol, Body horror, and Abandonment

Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Eating disorder

toodrew's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective medium-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

This is hands down one of the best books I've ever read. There is very little I can say about the book without spoilers. It is better to read without knowing much about the book.

I believe this book is best suited for fantasy and fairy tale enthusiasts. 

Every element is a brushstroke in this absolute masterpiece. But be prepared for trauma. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Violence, Death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Incest, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

picoledenaranja's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

The prose was beautiful but got a little heavy by the end. Same as the story,  something just didn't  fully click with me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

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

moonchild_cos's review

dark mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Animal death

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Child death, Pedophilia, and Terminal illness

Minor: Death of parent, Medical content, and Sexual content

prairieraven's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body horror, Sexual content, Bullying, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pedophilia, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, and Rape

rayreyes's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

1.75

Overall, boring sad and unpleasant. Trauma porn turned into magical realism. Flowery and boring. Child abuse and a pedophilic creep peppered throughout. Lame.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content

oaxara's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Child abuse

hareems's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse

Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

acogna's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

This story in and of itself was good Gothic fairytale—dark, cruel, mesmerising, heavy.

Spoiler

Like, that twist. Damn.

However, its quality is extremely held back by the prose. It was my main struggle; it attempts to write in that poetic, lyrical style of magical realism. But I could clearly tell that this is Roshani Choski's first foray into writing like this. Where at times the prose is lilting and beautiful, there are more instances where it's jarring, repetitive for no reason, nonsensical with its metaphors, clunky, obstructive, meandering, pretentious. It does not feel nice to read.

Spoiler

The House of Dreams, for instance, is characterised simply in its personification as a house: it sleeps, it favours people, it hates guests, it listens. It doesn't feel like a character, but it tries to be by way of being given personification. In comparison to the houses of Jackson, who are barely even personified in prose, but their foreboding presence, their dominance over the story, their Voyeuristic ghosts and cruel angles, are what make them characters.

The author sees how prose like this should work (it's obvious from the novel she's been inspired by a lot of good Gothic fiction, and it shows) but she doesn't seem to understand how to apply the prose in the way that best fits it. And it's a shame because of how good the story it's telling is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal death

trishalah_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual harassment