Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers

44 reviews

eloisecawley's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping

kayleigh_beann's review against another edition

adventurous challenging slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No

2.5

I was really intrigued by the plot, but for some reason I found the story itself lacking. I felt like somehow absolutely nothing was happening and yet everything was happening all at once. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death

drjoannehill's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

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

3.0

Nothing happened for the first third of this book. After that, I struggled to be interested. There seemed to me a massive plot hole - perhaps I was confused. It could have been so much more than it is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Murder

Moderate: Child death

aliteraryescape's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Child death, Sexual assault, and Torture

yiayiakassi's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

4.5

I was so swept away by this story that I don't even know where to begin. I sat in my car reeling from the characters' heartbreak, screamed into the void for them to make different choices, and muttered a constant stream of "no no no no don't" as they hurtled towards yet another awful situation. In other words, the storytelling had me in a chokehold of feelings and I loved every second. The story explores choices and their consequences in a setting that spans worlds with an intriguing system of magic and accompanying mythology. The only thing that kept this from being a 5-star story is the ending needed a little refinement; in some ways it was too slow and in others it was rushed. I really loved this and I look forward to more from this author.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Child death

gillothen's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

Gripping fantasy, very dark. The central figures struggle with abandonment as well as physical threats and you are not at all sure how it will work out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Abandonment

taybay23's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

4.0

This book is heavy on the vibes - I read it as an audiobook and really loved it, and I think I would have struggled a bit with reading it in print. The pacing picks up and slows again in places, and as an audiobook read while on walks or crafting, it had a nice cadence. It’s a lovely standalone fantasy with a hero’s journey and an interesting world to explore. There’s a redemption arc, found family, a curse (and a debt), gruesome gods, magic Tarot, and other dimensions. If you loved the Ten Thousand Doors of January or want a grown-up Golden Compass, this will be a good time. There’s not an explosive conclusion (and there’s a loose end that never fully ties!) but it comes to a natural end of conflict and I enjoyed going along the journey with the MCs.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Physical abuse

bookish_hollyx's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

callistag1's review against another edition

adventurous 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death and Gaslighting

Minor: Genocide

maresuju's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Vomit