Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

31 reviews

the_bees_books's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5

My favourite book. 
This book is for the kids who didn't want to be princes and princesses, this is for the kids who wanted to be knights and dragon riders, royalty and sorcerers. 
This is a story for those who never felt they were enough and proof that you are, if you choose to believe it. 
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Grief, Violence, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Mental illness, and Blood

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, and Infertility

obscurekeyboard's review

adventurous 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

hey_al's review

adventurous 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? Yes

5.0

This book has everything. Dragons, magic, queer folk, powerful women, etc. Definitely one of my favorite fantasy reads and I can't wait for the prequel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Blood, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Abortion, and Emotional abuse

themelleh's review

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

It took me a while to read this because I was moving and hit a slump. Also the first half is pretty much world building and setting up the second half. But then I have been voracious and determined to clear the books in my still reading pile and I’ve manage to hack away at this over the last two weeks.

I was so invested to the point where my hand gripping my hair and audible gasps had my partner asking if I was okay (I was not). 

Very much looking forward to the next one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Miscarriage, Gaslighting, Infertility, Violence, Death of parent, Racism, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Abandonment, War, Confinement, Blood, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, Alcoholism, and Animal death

cozyteareads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

Graphic: Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Classism, and Gaslighting

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Infertility

americiumam's review

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Cursing, Dementia, Infertility, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, War, Classism, Infidelity, Outing, Racism, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Slavery, Addiction, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

Minor: Stalking, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Incest, Genocide, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Suicide attempt, Vomit, and Racism

zoiejanelle's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

this is the best book i have read all year. the minute i picked it up, i couldn’t put it down. i don’t normally enjoy long-winded, epic fantasy. but the complex and relatable characters, the intricate mythos, and the gorgeous prose had me hooked. i devoured this book, all 800 pages, in a matter of days — and i’m a SLOW reader. 
this book has plenty of LGBT characters (and no, there is no “bury your gays here” do not worry!) and incorporates elements of lore and culture from the real world. the plot is slow, and largely based on religion, but the stakes are immediately high and it is easy to become invested in each character’s individual participation in the story.  

though i gave it 5 stars, i have two minor critiques. first, i would have loved more Tané, though i realize this may not have been possible. second, there were a few times when the solution to problems came relatively easily. i wished for some more detective work/struggle, but again, i realize there was a lot of story and i’m certain many cuts had to be made. 

i love this book. i will absolutely be re-reading this as soon as i catch up on my TBRs. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, War, Blood, Classism, Infertility, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship

anxieteaandbiscuits12's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, War, Blood, Violence, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Infertility

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, and Suicidal thoughts

caroluvr's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

Graphic: Stalking, Death of parent, Classism, Kidnapping, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, War, Infertility, Body horror, Bullying, Genocide, Misogyny, Murder, Suicide, Blood, Death, Gore, Pregnancy, Torture, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Violence, Animal death, Excrement, Grief, and Incest

Moderate: Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Infidelity, Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

rensreading's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

i have no idea where to start!! my brain feels like its scattered all over but one thing i can say with full certainty is that: this is one of the best high fantasy stories out there, hands down.

the plot? exquisite! the characters? phenomenal! the progression of relationships? flawless! all the twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat!

i think my favorite character would have to be tané. we didn’t get as much of her story as we did the others, true. but she spoke to my soul. a hidden past, seemingly abandoned by her birth parents and taken in by the temple (i’m like 80% sure it was a temple anyway) to learn and train to one day become a rider, having a dragon choose her and call her kin, claiming she has the heart of a dragon all while battling an insurmountable amount of guilt for lives she’s put in danger due to her own ambition. ughhhh i just loved her. i can’t explain it right. just know she’s marvelous and i wish only happy things for her from here on out.

i also love that all the queerness was so casual. the only issue anybody had with queer couples were due to blood heirs and classism. that’s it. so refreshing for two people of the same gender to be together and no one has an issue with it for the mere sake of it. especially in fantasy! you would assume since its all made-up, homophobia wouldn’t be a thing many fantasy stories subscribe to but you would be wrong. i also love that ace and aro also had rep in this. lost of people call this a sapphic fantasy, but that feels like a discredit to all the other queer identities represented in this book.

this is a tome, plain and simple. don’t let its size intimidate you though! once the story has you, its not gonna let go until you’ve read all 800+ pages it has for you. you’ll love it. but if you have trouble reading longer books, divide the book up by parts! it helped me immensely!

and when people say the story really starts to pick up at page 250, they truly were not lying.

5 stars (:

[edited 6/29]

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Religious bigotry, Torture, War, Confinement, Gore, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Cursing, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Pregnancy, Gun violence, Infertility, and Incest

Minor: Colonisation, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

concerning the incest: a character raises a child as her own then ends up falling in love with the child once they are grown. they are, fortunately, not blood related.