Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

88 reviews

montanabear444's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.75

I have read and reread Shadow and Bone several times throughout the years and I can maintain that it is a good easy adventure on the surface with a fair amount of nuance underneath. As the start to a really amazing and well-developed universe of books, Leigh Bardugo does an amazing job in world-building, but some of the characters fall a bit flat. I have heard several reviews of people who hate the main character, Alina, for various reasons, mostly that she's bland and boring, but I find her a very realist character. She does not have a crazy amount of character growth in this book- she's just trying to survive after all- but if you continue through the Grishaverse you will see the subtle character development. Then there's the Darkling, our favorite

villian. I love and hate the Darkling. He is a great example of powerful men who manipulate women to get their way. However, far too often, he gets mischaracterized by fans as the morally-grey love interest. HES NOT! He is a manipulative, vindictive jerk who only cared about his own interests and would destroy anything to achieve them. He manipulated and violated Alina and her bodily autonomy with the collar and he groomed a child to be raped for his own self-interest. That's not morally-grey, it's straight evil. I'm not even gonna talk about Mal because he is divisive among fans. Personally, I found him pretty boring but sweet. He wasn't dumb by any means by he sometimes felt like an afterthought and gave be himbo vibes. I would prefer if Alina ended up with Zoya or Genya, but Mal grew on me through the series. He's a bit annoying in this one at times though. The real standout was Genya. She's essentially just a victim in this book, but her character and her struggles, which we don't really find out about fully until the end, are really telling about Ravka, the rulers, the Grisha hierarchy, and the Darkling.

Anyway, pretty good, ~3.7 for me, but a must read if you want to get the full context in reading Six of Crows or get into the universe.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and Religious bigotry

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

alaynatabor's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

limiwh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Slavery, Grief, and Gaslighting

Minor: Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

diifacto's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Death

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Blood, and Gaslighting

jennifer_bush_73's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

wondereads13's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Shadow and Bone is a classic YA book. It's got a chosen one, it's got a love triangle, it's got the magic users sorted into different talents with associated colors. It's not super original, but I did like it. Alina, despite seeming like a typical blank-slate protagonist, was actually pretty compelling because her initial lack of character is due to her confusion about her own identity, which develops throughout the series. The Darkling is a toxic abuser, please do not simp for him, and I don't get why people hate on Mal so much.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Gaslighting

Minor: Violence and Murder

sofcole29's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Minor: Death of parent

blume13's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting