Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout

21 reviews

mightymaite's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

What a beautiful progression of the story. Poppy and Cas being apart so long made you suffer, but also made the character and relationship development in this book possible. The trauma that Cas went through, the aftermath and the impact on Poppy were so gripping! The atrocities of war in this book were written beautifully and so visually that it gripped you by the throat and branded itself on your eyes.
After seeing the relationships between the characters change and develop over multiple books, it was the perfect time for the Joining to happen. Very natural progression to get here. Tastefully written, full of love and friendship.
This book was the perfect bridge between Poppy's and Nyktos' storyline.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Gaslighting, and War

Moderate: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Grief

roget's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

1.0

This reads like a crack fic. 

This series would be so much stronger if space that was given to all the tone-ignorant quipping and pages of unnecessarily aggressive, uncomfortable exchanges were instead given to expanding the lore. 

The real plot is crammed into info-dumps in dialogue—just like, lecture after lecture of some being or another backtracking like “Well, ACTUALLY…” and then re-explaining lore and ancient relationships that’d already been explained and re-explained half a dozen times but apparently incorrectly. The consort? Interesting plot line. I wish we’d have gotten more of that development. 

The Malik-Poppy backstory reveal was absolutely undercut by the series’s penchant for throwing gossip girl-style shocking “twists” at us every five minutes,  not to mention the tonally inconsistent   suggestive and situationally abhorrent illicit comments. The series isn’t respectful to Kieren, either. He’s basically  treated like Poppy’s arm candy this book, and Poppy’s character is shockingly undynamic given the many, many changes she’s been through. She’s still acting like the angry, impulsive, and brash kid who’s playing at power without really understanding it. 

The pacing is weird. 

It takes them over half the book to rescue Cas, then it’s a large chunk of just adult scenes—the most awkward of which occur in the house of a set of resistance people who take them in and offer shelter only to be melted by Isbeth once Poppy and Cas are done using their familial home as a love shack.

As for the content…

There are numerous mature scenes, and if you’re not up for that, you’ll find yourself paging through them frustratedly and wading through neverending passages of violence as you wait for eons for an update about the more integral parts of the plot.

I’m interested to know more about the primals and their clearly warped family tree. I want Poppy to return to Ileesium. I want to see more of those dynamics unfold. I wish the book would spend more time and nuance developing that and Poppy herself. 

Kind of just reading to find out what happens and how it wraps up at this point, which is disheartening. I’m sure some people find this series fun or entertaining, but the issues have sort of spoiled it for me, at least.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Toxic relationship, Death, Confinement, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Grief, War, and Torture

cosyqueer's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Cursing, Violence, War, and Sexual content

Moderate: Death, Confinement, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Child death and Torture

jhaneveauguste's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Blood, Confinement, Torture, Violence, and War

ka_ke's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? No

4.75

ARE WE GETTING ANOTHER BOOK?!? That is my only thought at the end of this book. I need to know what happens with Cas, Poppy & Kieran. I need closure! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Torture, Violence, Death, Gaslighting, War, Sexual content, Blood, Cursing, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Classism, Gore, Alcohol, Ableism, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders

josxphinchen'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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Murder, Animal death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death, Gore, Grief, and Sexual content

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

cassie12_21's review

adventurous challenging dark tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

Just found out there is going to be 2 more books, I don’t want to wait to see how this ends😭.

at least Isbitch is dead, and the 3-some happened, although I was anticipating more from it, slightly disappointed

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, War, Confinement, Gore, Grief, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Violence

Minor: Animal death and Torture

jonezzzing's review against another edition

• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Classism, Cursing, Death, Colonisation, Gore, Grief, Sexism, Confinement, War, and Violence

Moderate: Torture

bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Gore, Kidnapping, Child death, Murder, War, Violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual content, Blood, and Death

stardust_heidi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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 started the first 5 chapters and decided to wait until the weekend to read, and when I did, I devoured the rest of the book in approximately 24 hours. I could NOT put it down. This is one that hooks with with unbearable angst from the beginning and doesn't let go until the end; however, after

Casteel is rescued, things definitely get more lighthearted and funny in ways similar to the previous books.</spoiler)

Also, I won't lie, I was apprehensive about the Joining, but it was done SO WELL, and dear lord, I love the love between the three of them and the way Cas and Kieran both worship Poppy.

A phenomenal installment to this series. My heart was racing at the end and I literally had to put my book down every few minutes to take a deep breath. 

I need the next two books STAT. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Violence, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and War