Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

30 reviews

anastashamarie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Urban fantasy is usually hit-or-miss for me, but this one hit all the right spots. 

SJM builds a complex and fascinating world in the Crescent City series. Because of this, there is a pretty big info-dump in the first few chapters of this book detailing the history of the city, its people, and the social and political hierarchies. I wouldn't say the world building is any more complex than any other fantasy series, but it did make the first few chapters drag on for me. ⚠️ WARNING: AVOID THE FAN WIKI AND SUBREDDITS IF YOU'RE STILL READING. They are both filled with unmarked spoilers. If you do want to look up a guide for any of the background lore, I found a mostly spoiler-free guide that I'll gladly message you. ⚠️ Aside from the initial mountain of information, the world only added to the story overall, and the sociopolitical context became much easier to follow as the story went on.

Along with the info dump, I didn't initially relate well to the FMC, Bryce, and her "party girl" attitude. I didn't dislike her by any means--she's fiery, intelligent, and complex--but she didn't initially resonate with me on a personal level. As the story progresses, though all this changes. After the first 100-200 pages, I couldn't put this book down. I fell in love with the banter and sass that Bryce's character natural brought to the story, and the chemistry between her and the romantic lead had me giggly. I also fell in love with the portrayals of friendship and family, as I'm finding is characteristic of SJM's books. Some of the friendship scenes, especially toward the end, quite literally had me sobbing.

I also thought the murder mystery of this plot was nicely done. All the clues (and red herrings) tied together nicely in the end, providing a satisfying conclusion. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend this for fantasy readers who also enjoy crime shows: think Criminal Minds meets the Mortal Instruments.  Very enjoyable read and I'm already looking forward to the next one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Alcohol, and Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, and Slavery

Minor: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Vomit

localcat's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Grief, Violence, Alcohol, Drug use, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm

Minor: Vomit, War, and Domestic abuse

begentile's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Murder, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, War, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Gore, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, and Vomit

ahirsch00's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

It took a while for me to really get into the book. It was a slow start, and a lot of information is thrown at you in the first few chapters, so it made it difficult to process at first. But there are a ton of twists and turns that I never saw coming. I was on the edge of my seat by the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Classism, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, War, Vomit, Abandonment, Classism, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Torture, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, and Slavery

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Sexual content, Drug use, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Suicide, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Animal death, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

As someone who loved TOG but ACOTAR left me feeling a little underwhelmed, I was hesitant to read this book. I also had a friend who rated it 2 stars so it didn't give me high hopes. Holy Hel was I wrong and the emotional rollercoaster this book sent me on when reading it!! I loved every second of this book and had to restrain myself from screaming about it. This book in equal parts made me smile and broke my heart.

I loved the overall plot and the mystery it held. It kept me going with all of the twists and turns. I gasped, I regretted what happened, I loved what happen and by the end, I sat there with the book staring at the wall whispering "What the fuck. What the fuck." As I had to comprehend how everything ended and went down. I also thought "Thank the gods that book two is out now and I don't have to wait a couple of years.". I also liked that all the plot points from the start of the book were resolved and because they were resolved, there are now new plot points for the next book due to consequences. In a book that is 803 pages long, I would have been really annoyed that one of the plots points was not resolved for 'reasons'.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. There was a fun range of them and I also enjoyed jumping to different characters. Ruhn was one that I really enjoyed reading and watching interact with everyone. I found a lot of the characters in this book felt really well rounded and had their own lives, issues, and priorities. Granted not all were as all fleshed as others, it also comes down to how much they are written in the book and at what times. I am very excited to see who returns in the next book, and no doubt the new characters that Bryce and Hunt will work with and against.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Torture, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Sexism, Murder, Alcohol, Addiction, and Violence

Moderate: Gaslighting, Cursing, Xenophobia, Abandonment, War, Suicide attempt, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Body shaming, Pregnancy, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content

lisa_m's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book so so much!!! I already knew I liked SJMs writing but this was immaculate!!
After 100 pages I already was quite certain it would be a five star read and now I wish I could give it more than five stars. I just finished it so I might think a bit differently about this in a few weeks but this book is in the top 5 of all books I have ever read. I am still debating whether I liked it more than ACOTAR but I might have..

I was so immersed in the story that I physically could not stop reading. I finished it in 2 days and everytime I wasn't reading I was still thinking about the plot and the characters.
Most of the plot twists I did not expect or even if I expected them, the way it happened was still spectacular.

When I started reading today around 2 pm I wanted to get through about 300 pages and finish it up tomorrow.
I don't know what happened it, feels like time just passed me and I didn't realise what was happening around me. I feel like the world could have ended and I still would not have stopped reading. When I finally finished the 800 pages my whole body hurt and it was already 00:20. I thought it was early afternoon..

This book once again showed me why I like SJMs writing so much and why she is such a popular author. It is not for the smut which some people like to say (and which luckily was only like 2 pages in the whole book). She is incredibly talented and absolutely deserves the hype she is getting!!

I loved the characters and I cried for them. I felt their pain and I don't know if I will ever get over this book.
It is the best thing I have read in a long time and I cannot wait to read the next book!

I am really grateful for the ending though. It doesn't end on a cliffhanger so at least I can go to sleep now. :)

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Thoughts of my 2. read-through:

THIS BOOK IS MY FAVOURITE BOOK EVER I CAN'T HELP IT.

I also cried again. A lot.
This book hurts like hell but I also giggled SO MUCH.

I love the characters. I love the writing. I love the plot. I love the setting. I love the drama. I love the silliness. I love the friendships. I love everything because this book literally has everything I could ever want.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Drug use, Slavery, Death, Violence, Murder, War, and Addiction

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Bullying, Drug use, Police brutality, Sexism, Torture, Cursing, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Domestic abuse, Medical content, and Abandonment

christas_catalog's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, War, Slavery, and Sexual content

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Vomit

redus_reuse_recycle's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Slavery

Minor: Domestic abuse

emmas_shelf's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-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

I thought the world building of SLM new book House of Earth and Blood, whilst being an information dump at the beginning of the book, was really refreshing. No longer are we sent back thousands of years or on an unrecognisable terrain. This world by SJM has modern technology, phones, the internet and there are scenes which - minus the magical characters - felt like could easily occur in our own reality. I loved the humour, anxieties and benefits the modern tech added to a mythical world. I think the subtheme of surveillance culture was very subtly covered. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Blood

Moderate: Sexism and Death

paolina's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Put off at first by Maas's writing style, I was eventually sucked into the plot about halfway through. I have a lot of issues with this book, but anythin  that can hold my attention right now is worth a few stars. (Issues being tons of info-dumps, Maas calling characters "males" and "females" like a weirdo instead of just using pronouns, every single character being the most badass that ever badassed-if everyone is a badass, then no one is, really-and convenient plot points that cropped up out of nowhere). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Medical content

Minor: Animal cruelty