Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

30 reviews

penny_m's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Rape, Sexism, War, Sexual content, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Death, Child death, and Emotional abuse

lesemaus2303's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Child death, Misogyny, Slavery, War, Blood, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Grief, Rape, Violence, Infertility, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

emmavanweert's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I really enjoyed Klytemnestra's perspective and story. (Though I'm still not sure how to pronounce her name). It was a story about true female strength and struggle. A woman, a mother, a daughter and a girl was all really beautifully represented in her story.
I love that the prologue could be seen as either sisters perspective. 
That being said, I must admit that I detested Helen in this retelling and I don’t think she deserved the ending she got.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, War, and Violence

megjobethamy's review

adventurous emotional sad medium-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: War, Violence, and Rape

shan_lou's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, War, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Grief, Death, Rape, Suicide, Sexual violence, Child death, Violence, Slavery, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail

hayleemarie's review

dark emotional sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, and War

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Suicide

hilly_em's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Abortion, Sexual harassment, and Violence

alexiasophii's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I've been reading a lot of Troy retellings and this one is another on the list. I enjoyed it, it has a good pace and shows us closely the lives of the two sisters. Though I admit that the book did not make me like Helen (I still haven't found a book that does) but I did love Klytemnestra. And I'm glad that the author left out her fate, after the end. Ended it on a good note, instead of the actual tragic ending of the character. Overall, it's an interesting book that focuses more on their private life, inner monologues and feeling than the Trojan War itself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Slavery, Infidelity, and Violence

Moderate: Pregnancy, Violence, Domestic abuse, Rape, and War

stobo1kenobo's review

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Fuck, Agamemnon. Purr, Klytemnestra. I support women’s rights. But more importantly, I support women's wrongs. 

I enjoyed this book a lot! It switches back and forth between the third person perspective of Helen and Klytemnestra in a way that wasn’t confusing and allows you to get a sense of what both sisters are going through as they navigate growing up into wifehood and motherhood. Really enjoyed!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexism, Violence, Animal death, Murder, Sexual assault, War, Genocide, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking

amobrien's review

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.25

I'm a sucker for mythological retellings — though I will say that Daughters of Sparta is light on the magic that I normally expect from mythology and sticks more to realism. I found this to be really effective for this story as it delves into the Trojan War and its horrors, and I think it allows readers to connect with the characters as people more than as mythological figures. I really enjoyed the way the story focused on the two sisters Helen and Klytemnestra. Though separated by their responsibilities and geography, I loved seeing the ways in which the sisters were similar as well as how they were different, and how both of their choices affected each other and their communities. Though this book is heavy at times, I found it to be a rather quick read. If you love Greek mythology, I definitely think this is worth adding to your list!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, War, and Death

Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, and Murder

Minor: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail