Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede

8 reviews

evarinya's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

2.75

It's heartbreaking.
I loved this book so much. Up to the  ~70-80% mark this was an absolute 5 star read for me.
Interesting premise, cool magic, fun dynamic between the MC and the love interest...
And then the last 20% happened and... no. Just no. The rest of the book was 2 stars at most for me. Just... randomly put together plot elements that, in my eyes, stopped making sense halfway through (those last 20%), the ending seemed to be simply dramatic for drama's sake and I just... didn't find it engaging anymore.
List of things I didn't like behind spoilers:

The random back and forth of Aldrick being "good" vs "evil", the random 180 of Alessa's parents / her mother specifically, the whole treason plotline the moment Dante was captured (also the hints that he was tortured, like, wtf?), the end battle didn't capture me at all anymore (though I don't know, maybe it was well written, I had just... lost any sort of interest in what's happening at this point), and the consulted "she was dying (wtf were all of her guards doing??), then he saved her and died, but she saved him and so he didn't die, but his gift just... vanished? Don't know, don't care anymore. But that he lost his gift at the end was a major gut-punch for me that made the whole reading experience worse.

 I know that there's a second book but I really don't want to read is anymore... And that breaks my heart after this book was so good for so long... But that's what it is. Sadly.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Torture, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Confinement, Classism, Child abuse, and Hate crime

scrubsandbooks's review against another edition

I can’t make any sense of how the FMC’s powers work. She can kill everyone she touches but also she can save humanity but also some people can touch her? And her family just cuts her off when she has this power that sort of makes her some kind of royalty? The world-building doesn’t make sense. The romance doesn’t make sense. The tension she has some other side characters also make no sense. I was utterly bored. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Confinement

one_more_chapter96's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

Phenomenal story. I absolutely adored Alessa & Dante’s story & seeing them slowly (and reluctantly) fall for each other. The world building, the language elements, the magic system, the religion system was all fascinating and so well introduced. The side characters were so funny & well enough developed, and it was beautiful to see Alessa grow in confidence. Wonderfully written book which made me laugh & cry out loud. One of my favourite reads of 2023 so far! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Religious bigotry, Death, War, Gore, Blood, and Confinement

Minor: Torture, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, and Child abuse

readwithria's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted 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

This Vicious Grace absolutely blew me away! One of the best books I’ve read this year, 5 stars!

Alessa goes through so much growth in this book! She steals every inch of agency she can find, and I love her so much. She learns how to ask for and accept help, she learns how to advocate for herself, and she learns so much about her strength. She’s told for so much of the book that she’s too much - too much power, too much time, too much effort - and she proves to them all that she’s exactly what she needs to be.

This book has such strong themes of connection and community. The found family element was such a surprise, but an absolutely lovely one! The romance was SO CUTE 🥰 Dante is such a sweetheart, even if he acts like an asshole, and he stands up for what he believes in in so many ways. He has so much strength, and he shares it so willingly!

There were twists I didn’t see coming, new informations that I discovered as the characters did, and so many quotes I will want to revisit in the future! But for now I’ll leave you with this:

“We have a bad habit of locking up people who scare us, and the thing that scares men with power most is a woman with more of it.”

I absolutely cannot wait to read the sequel. 5 stars!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Cursing

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Hate crime, War, Vomit, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Body horror, Physical abuse, Murder, Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Stalking, Bullying, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gaslighting, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Police brutality

kirstenf's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, and War

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Sexual content, Grief, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Deportation, and Death of parent

Minor: Medical content and Sexism

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Imagine, if you will, Rogue from X-Men but transported into a historical quasi-Italian island setting.  That's basically our heroine, but with the addition of a chosen one trope.  Her power is to amplify that of someone else but if she touches the wrong person, they die.  Her divine goal is to save the world from an apocalyptic event that occurs roughly every 5 years and once the chosen one has saved the island, they lose their powers and another person awakens theirs.  Rinse and repeat.

The chosen one chooses a (life) partner to weather the battle with, and with our main character, she has chosen and killed three times while trying to train for the end of the world.

I have some issues with the book, but overall it was very readable and the ending left enough questions and plot for the next installment.  Not sure if I would continue, but I'm not immediately opposed.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Outing, War, Child abuse, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Blood, Police brutality, Torture, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Sexual content

toffishay's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

3.25

I found the plot interesting and I love Dante and Alessa, but some of the character relationships were grating, <SPOILER> especially with Alessa's family and relationship with Renata and Tomo. They are given redemption of some sort and to varying degrees by the end, but because so much of the middle of the book is dedicated to Alessa learning to work with the Fontes, the resolution with the family, Renata, and Tomo feel a little undeserved. Some people who actively betrayed Alessa were far too readily forgiven in my opinion. I also am uncomfortable with the implication at the end of the book that those who have been prosecuted by the dominate culture and government would be recruited to be an army on their behalf. And that is the term used, not that they would necessarily be reintegrated into the community or asked for forgiveness, but that they needed them as fodder in the coming fight. It may be addressed tactfully in the inevitable next edition, but I am wary. <END SPOILER> The book is funny though and the relationships develop in interesting ways. The understanding paid to Alessa's isolation and pain is really well done too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, Alcohol, War, Death, Murder, Xenophobia, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Grief, Genocide, Confinement, and Child death

Moderate: Abandonment