Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

23 reviews

franrodalg's review against another edition

challenging

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

1.25

Why??? Just... why??? I honestly can't see the point of this, other than as a blatant cash grab... 

I enjoyed The Lunar Chronicles much more than I could have ever imagined. I found it charming, entertaining and imaginative despite me not being the target audience at all. I even managed to bear the (multiple) romances, which is quite a feat for me. The villain, though, was not particularly exciting, but the series being classic fairytale retellings that's almost a given. It wasn't a perfect series by any means, but I had it in high regard. 

After reading Fairest, though, I'm seriously rethinking my appreciation of the of the original series. 

When someone gets one of those classic shallow, moustache-twirling villains and decides to write their origin story, one expects a reframing of the main narrative, a different angle that makes the villain if not more sympathetic, at least more complex, more human. 

Not here. 

Not only we follow a despicable individual, but an extremely unlikeable one on top. There are plenty of stories where the main character is an objectively evil person, but the author manages to make it enjoyable to follow them. Sand dan Glokta from the First Law series might be one of my favourite characters of all times, despite being a torturer. Alessandra from The Shadows Between Us is wicked and selfish, yet she managed to make me enjoy a romantasy book, something I would have never guessed. Even being inside Cersei’s head in ASOIAF is strangely addictive. But those characters were fun to follow, with a unique narrative voice and inner monologue. 

Levana is just horrible, without any redeeming quality whatsoever, and the writing doesn’t compensate. 

I was expecting to at least empathise with her, But no. I only learned that, on top of everything we already knew, she is [spoiler and trigger warning alert]a rapist. 

This feels like an exercise on how not to write a villain origin story. 

Marissa Meyer undoubtedly came to hate Levana’s character as she was writing the main series, creating a despicable backstory for her that intersected with the protagonists. That might have worked for those protagonists but, as it stands, does not work for the villain. You can’t write from the perspective of someone you despise, specially if you want readers to enjoy their experience. 

What a disappointment. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

cortanasreadingnook's review

dark emotional sad tense fast-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

2.0

Fairest gives an insight to Levana Blackburn’s miserable life and how she came to be the queen of Luna as we read throughout the books. Marissa Meyer did a great job portraying this villain because there wasn’t any justification for her terrible behavior but merely reason. I really tried to sympathize with her, but she truly is a psycho that only yearned for love and acceptance in the most wicked way she could conjure those feelings up. She’s a manipulator and a power-hungry queen that reflects most world leaders today and their endless greed. Overall, this novella allows the readers to give their own judgement towards an iredeemable, powerful, yet badly scarred woman. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, and Violence

melissaslibraryy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

4.5

Oh Levana, you crazed delusional woman, how many lives you’ve ruined including your own bc of your own selfishness and childish crush. The way she could’ve turned out a normal princess had her parents actually given a fuck about her and had her own sister not set her on fire and scarred her for life (physically & emotionally.) If therapy was a thing on Luna TRUST that Levana should’ve been first at the door 😭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Murder, Pregnancy, Violence, Classism, Death, Ableism, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Medical trauma, Grief, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment

Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexual violence

kot_zbigniew's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Murder, Child death, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Sexual assault

amschelly153's review

dark informative 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

4.0

The backstory is sometimes hard to read but also well written. Informative and dark, but helpful to know.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Abandonment, Death of parent, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, and Bullying

nmetz's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Fairest is a great prequel to the Lunar Chronicles filling in some of the holes and misinformation we had before. This book truly dives into why lunars have this dark past. Why there are preconceived notions about the lunars and why Levana did do what she did why she had the drive to do what she did. So a quick summary of the book SPOILERS AHEAD Levana falls in love with a man named Evert Hale but he is already married. Sadly Evert's wife dies in childbirth so Levana decides to try to get close to him and she starts manipulating him into thinking that he is in love with her and starts driving him insane. Then Levana sees the former queen's daughter who is the only other heir to the throne she kills her using fire. More events happen and at the end of the story kills the man she drove insane in her quest for love and she decides love is a conquest love is a war. This book shows how you can use love. You can use it like a tool or a weapon or you can let love use you and guide you through life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gaslighting, and Child death

bean_7088's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Whoops what a doozy! Murderous queen backstory makes her worse!

Like, part of it is sad, like spoiled kids growing up sheltered in the nasty circles they do makes for horrible people and children.. but she had chances to be a better person. 

I still loved the writing 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Rape, Death, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

Basically the evil queen has been abused and then she abuses, manipulates, forces her husband into sleeping with her.

daniellecheri's review against another edition

sad tense fast-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

5.0

I give this book five stars because of the writing. I didn't feel any sympathy for Levana. It made my skin crawl. And I call that excellent writing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Murder, Bullying, and Child death

livreads2much's review

dark emotional sad 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

3.75

Love is a conquest. Love is a war. Here's what I think about love. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, and Sexual assault

Minor: Infertility, Death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Grief

novelnerd_11's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Bullying, Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Grief and Death of parent

Minor: Infertility