Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

54 reviews

momo916's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? No

4.5

This book is beautifully imaginative and yet depicts such horribly strife and tragedy. Taylor sucks you in with a wonderful fantasy world that is as complex and torturous as our own. She hits the mark where I've felt Erin Morgenstern falls flat. There are so many echoes of the history of American colonialism and slavery in this narrative, but it very much has a life of its own. I'm eager to pick up the second book but also apprehensive because I'm fairly certain it's going to rip my heart in two.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, and Rape

cookiecat73's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-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? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Genocide, Murder, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Death of parent, and Kidnapping

Minor: Pregnancy and Misogyny

maddiebusick'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Trafficking, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, and Rape

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Slavery

hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Abandonment, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Slavery, and Violence

bethy_joy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child death, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Slavery

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

this book doesnt totally click w/ me. idk if it's the plot--or lack thereof--or what, but there's something missing. so it's rly a testament to laini's vivid, seemingly boundless imagination; impeccable and wholly original worldbuilding; her ability to make the simple seem magical and extraordinary; thought-provoking and emotional exploration of hatred, love, survival, living, horrors and trauma of war; her writing that is pure poetry; and--though it's too sweet and toe-curling for my taste--the tenderness and longing and hope infused between sarai and lazlo, that strange the dreamer nevertheless gets 4 stars. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Confinement, Murder, Violence, Sexual content, and War

Minor: Child death, Sexual assault, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Toxic friendship

jhaneveauguste's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Rape, Slavery, Violence, and Confinement

sarah_cameron's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

A slow start but the characters were  interesting and well fleshed out. The last quarter was executed really well and brought my attention back to the book, excited to give the sequel a go! 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence

aidamaria_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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? Yes

5.0

I’ve been wanting to read Strange the Dreamer for years now and it did not disappoint. It is wonderfully written, full of terrors and splendours and it made me Weep. Also, I hate to break it to all other fictional men but they can pack their bags: Lazlo Strange is the most beautiful protagonist I’ve ever encountered, both inside and out. I hope the second book will be just as good, although I suspect there to be a little less dreaming and a lot more drama (and imminent double heartbreak). Either way, I look forward to diving right back into Lazlo’s world as soon as I’ve emotionally recovered from the first part of the duology.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and War

mirilh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault, Violence, and Slavery