Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Circe by Madeline Miller

220 reviews

mia_difelice's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Gore, and Rape

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence

librarymouse's review

adventurous emotional funny 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

4.5

Madeline Miller exceeded my expectations with this one. Circe as both character and story is lovingly rendered, and the culmination of her constant change and constant striving for more at the end of novel is more than I could have hoped for.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Body horror, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Rape

Minor: Genocide, Slavery, and War

hammie_32's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

2.5

This was really disappointing. I had a lot of hopes for a dark, reflective retelling of a myth often starring a villainous evil bitch, easily defeated. And this gets 2.5 stars ONLY because for precisely the first 50% of the book, it was the dark, captivating, sorrowful tale I was promised.

And then it turned into a shitty "feminist" novel. And I know that makes me sound gross, but it's in quotes for a reason. Because why, why does every book featuring a powerful woman always have to end up about

motherhood

? I have nothing against it, and yes, sometimes that IS a powerful statement to be made. Not like this, and not this often. If someone somewhere needs permission, you have my allowance to write a feminist, feminine power, woman-dominated, whatever else story where your main female character DOESN'T

get pregnant

!! Doesn't "

find power in nurturing

." Doesn't

use a child to remedy their own traumas

!!! Successfully might I add! It's just never the feminist statement that these authors think it is, and I'm so sick of having to read it after hearing the same sentiment shouted from the rooftops for years by young women and femmes.

I wish I could have more love for this book. But I want 500 pages of an immortal's torment at the hands of humanity. I want a narrative of her suffering on finding a few kind souls, only to be torn apart by the next pack of dogs. I want a dark assemblage of our species' sins told via a recollection of an eternal life's worth of memories. I want her to be twisted and cold and cruel and I want it to be justified because that would be real. If someone wants something happy in there, throw a Sapphic romance in at the end that doesn't "fix" her. But I can't stand to read Circe talking about the cruelties of men, cruelties of gods and goddesses, cruelties of LIFE, just to turn around and

pop out a baby

because she wishes a reprieve of her solitude.

And then she

fucks her stepson

, and that just made me mad.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Blood, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

Minor: Animal death, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, and War

missmarycrawford's review

medium-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Gore

17michaelasully's review

dark emotional inspiring tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Body horror, Torture, Pregnancy, Gore, and Emotional abuse

lilareads5678's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

really liked the book. it’s greek mythology so you have to pay attention and focus. so it’s not just like a YA romance where you can just read the words. madeleine miller has such great talent for creating modern retellings. also the quotes in this book were so GOOD. if you like greek mythology i highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Grief, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Pregnancy, War, Rape, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Violence

saskiahill's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Death, Violence, Gore, Grief, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Infidelity, War, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Animal death, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Murder

crowcrow's review

challenging dark sad

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

4.0

As always Madeline Miller delivers. Her writing style is a delight, it's comforting and you can tell she puts a lot of work into it. I was absolutely captivated the moment I started reading, Circe was such a compelling character no matter where she was. I was rooting for her the entire time. The side characters were also compelling, I was particularly excited to see Odysseus, but I was surprised how interest she made the others too. I think the book's best quirk was the complexity between all of Circe's relationships, it was so fun to read.

I'd also like to give it props for how it portrayed SA. I was afraid that it would change Circe's completely, completely rewriting her to be weak and scared, but no! It was handled extremely well! I like that it shows that trauma doesn't need to tie you down. I appreciate it!

All that aside I was extremely disappointed in the ending.

I found it morbid that Circe hooked up with Telemachus. Y'know? Her past lover's son. Icks all over the floor and sky. Wtf? Why was that necessary. And the daydreams she had of them having kids? Yuck, no.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Rape

kds247's review against another edition

adventurous reflective relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.25

This book doesn’t have much of a plot but the descriptiveness of it is just stunning. The writing feels like a warm blanket and even though some horrible things happen in this book, Circe’s inner monologue is gorgeous. Miller can really capture thoughts and emotions perfectly onto a page

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual assault, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Rape, and Sexism

Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Gore, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, War, and Sexual content

Minor: Torture and Injury/Injury detail

thursdd4y's review against another edition

adventurous informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.75

Ughhhhhhhhh - I really wanted to love this but I just couldn’t, the writing style totally disregarded the ‘show don’t tell’ mantra and the protagonist was unbearable. I don’t understand the hype. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Torture, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Death, Confinement, Sexual violence, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Animal death, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexism and Rape