Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

2 reviews

befrazzledenby's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious 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? No

4.0

This was cute! I picked it up thinking it would be more YA-Lemony-Snicket-esque, but it was definitely more MG, which is fine, too. Penelope was lovely and instantly close to my heart, but I really fell for the children. I'm a sucker for hurt-comfort and this played with that in a very gentle MG way. I'm definitely going to read the next book in the series, and then we'll go from there. 

-1 star for some dullness, probably because I'm not the intended audience. I could've done with a little more action, especially in the first half--it felt a little too calm for me, but again, I kept going because of the emotions, not necessarily the plot. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Death, Child abuse, Abandonment, and Animal cruelty

bumblebroxbeeblebooks's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

I love this story so much. The children were adorable and their relationship with the governess was endearing. It reminded me in bits of Mary Poppins or Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. Every time the children spoke, my heart melted. It is similar to when siblings or children make up their own language that nobody understands but them. I have a theory about why the children were left in the woods and the person behind the wallpaper in the attic but I'm dying to read more and to see if I am right. Definitely one of my favorites this year. So stinking cute, I'm living!...oh and I really want my own Nutsawoo lol

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Violence

There are some dark concepts in this novel masked by lighthearted jokes. It reminded me a lot of Mary Poppins if the children she was caring for were hidden away from the world and neglected by their adoptive parents. Don't read if you have any issues with the above content warnings even if they aren't always explicitly mentioned.