Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

4 reviews

tealstarlight's review

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.0

I enjoyed the world the Belles live in. The vivid and frothy descriptions are a great contrast to the disturbing side of life in the kingdom. There are charming elements in the relatively simple ways people live in this world: the unique postal system, the floating lanterns that can be changed according to mood/ occasion, and the bustling, almost Dickensian marketplaces. 

The Belles' magic takes the place of plastic surgery. I wasn't expecting the vivid descriptions of the painful magical procedures, but they highlight the kingdom's obsession with beauty.

Random favorite thing that enchanted me in this book? The absolutely adorable idea of teacup animals!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Bullying, Grief, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Sexual assault

I thought "The Belles" would be a simple sweet story with a bit of mystery. It was a pleasant surprise to see the story unfold to be more interesting than expected. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.

coymeld's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Rape, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

bendersreads's review

adventurous mysterious tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Death

Minor: Animal cruelty, Torture, Vomit, and Toxic relationship

manicpixi3dreamgirl's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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

Minor: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Body shaming, and Animal cruelty