Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

73 reviews

graceert's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Death, and Sexual assault

Minor: Gaslighting and Religious bigotry

mengzhenreads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-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? Yes

3.5

Obsessed with the atmosphere and setting of the book, I loved the wintery medieval Russian setting and the pastoral, quaint, and lyrical writing style. It was giving very much folk tale, very much warm and cosy, and I was just fascinated by the world and magic that the author created.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Death

Moderate: Child death, Animal death, and Sexism

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

twocents's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

For the first half or so, I only sort of follow what's happening. Every character has between 3-5 names, many of them very similar, and the timeline is very loosey goosey, so I gave up on tracking anyone other than the main character. I'm waffling on what to say about this, because I understand what the author was trying to do, but I'm not sold on the execution for much of it. For example, the stepmother is originally someone I feel sorry for, but she leans so heavily into her cruelty and stupidity that I lose any sympathy very quickly and it never comes back. 

That said, the ending came together quite nicely, enough that I'm willing to check out the second book anyway.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Child abuse

Minor: Sexual assault

elliemaryn's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

an immersive fairtyale retelling perfect for the cold nights of winter. i'm truly blown away

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse

jelliestars's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Animal death

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Physical abuse, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Child death, Colonisation, Medical content, War, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

misszoe's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, and Misogyny

Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail

mmefish's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

It's hard to believe that Katherine Arden is not Russian (or just Slavic) because of how authentic this book feels — it is clear she's very knowledgeable on the subject. Well integrated myths and Russian terms brought back memories from my childhood, while masterfully crafted 14th century Rus' landscapes made me want to read more Slavic-inspired fantasy. 
And to think that it's a debut novel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Sexual assault

Minor: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, and Rape

rotuna's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny

Minor: Sexual assault

smeier22's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

2.0

Had to fight to finish because of the writing style. Plot is good, writing is flavorless

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault

emfass's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.0

 Comfort reread of one of my favorites series.

Kathleen Gati does a beautiful job as narrator, capturing the characters, the dialects, the world of medieval Rus. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Blood, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Animal death, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cannibalism, Child death, Sexual assault, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Self harm

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, and Rape