Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

7 reviews

risten's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Death, Racism, Violence, Child death, Gore, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Torture, Classism, War, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Animal death, Vomit, Excrement, and Misogyny

sarahsbookss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Confinement, Death, Grief, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Violence

madamenovelist's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Gore, Confinement, Child abuse, Blood, Grief, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Body horror, Torture, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Slavery, Sexism, Racism, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, and Death

katsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

“So long as you fight the darkness, you stand in the light.”

“Failure doesn't define you. It's what you do after you fail that determines whether you are a leader or a waste of perfectly good air.”

“Don't look so worried. Most successful missions are just a series of barely averted disasters.”

“You are a torch against the night - if you dare to let yourself burn.”

Whoa. This novel was a wild ride, much like it's predecessor which I also enjoyed a lot. The adventure and intrigue were a ton of fun and kept me turning pages, especially during the last half. The plot twists were on point and they just kept on coming. Between presumed deaths, actual deaths, a love triangle and a massive betrayal, the drama almost gave me whiplash, but in the best possible way. Elias is the sweetest while also being a total badass. I love how much Laia's character has grown. And while I started off not really liking Helene's POV, I really appreciated her by the end of the book. I also ended up liking Harper much more than I thought I would. I really liked the more overtly fantastical elements incorporated into this novel (as opposed to the first novel, An Ember in the Ashes) and I'm really excited to see how those elements get fleshed out in the last two novels. There are some significant trigger warnings for graphic violence, torture, child abuse and genocide so please be aware. 

REREAD:
This was just as fantastic the second time around. The twists and turns were just as good. I was a little frustrated that I forgot so much about the plot over the last year but that just meant I really got to relive it. And honestly I have so many questions for book 3. The character's are so well written and I'm convinced Tahir is going to rip my heart out in the last two books. So here goes nothing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Grief, Murder, Torture, Physical abuse, Violence, Abandonment, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Slavery, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Minor: Sexual content

destdest's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

3.0

Seems like trauma/violence porn at some points (or maybe it’s the realities of a cruel regime). Elias (and Helene), in particular, can't seem to catch a break. But it's the character connection/interaction between Elias and Helene that keeps me hooked. 

I never would’ve dreamt of it, but I find Helene the most interesting. She cannot kill Elias and yet she must; the Commandant is playing chess with her, her soldiers don’t respect her, and her family has sworn allegiance to Marcus, a certified butthole, fighting his own demons. I don’t dislike Laia, but I feel like I’m just being told she’s brave/different now. But I’m not really seeing it.

her invisibility power does sound like it could be dope now that she’s mastered it.

I also loved that Elias got to see his family again. 

There are some parts I enjoy and others I don’t like. As far as interest, it’s like 4 – 5 stars, but I don’t know if I like how some of the heavier elements are handled. But I can’t put this series down either, so onto book 3 I go. 

TW: genocide, enslavement, prison torture, seizures, death, child abuse

Ending thoughts (major spoilers):

it feels like Helene gained this whole family overnight. I don’t remember them being mentioned in the first book much, if at all. 

I was surprised when Laia slept with Keenan because most books have the female lead “untouched” by no one other than the LI, even during a love triangle. 

I liked that the Scholar people played a huge role in their own escape. It wasn’t like Elias was the chosen “savior” or something. Maybe he brought morale up, but they also helped themselves. It’s always iffy when the savior of a people is an outsider, but I think the story avoided that.

Also, loved that he died. You don’t expect the hero to die in these stories, even if he does cheat death for a few pages more. 

The whole Keenan-Jinn felt majorly cheesy. I thought he was just helping the warden because they had information on a family member of his who wasn't killed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, and Torture

Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, and Slavery

ramiel's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Colonisation, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Mental illness

Minor: Rape, Sexual content, and Domestic abuse

Imperialism is one hell of a drug. "Mild" are: the emperor is a rapist and makes a lot of threats. Some of the sexual content - such as that between the two main characters - is innocent and not excessively detailed but its there.

nefari_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Animal death