Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Murtagh: The World of Eragon by Christopher Paolini

9 reviews

gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

It took me many, many months to get through this, but my gosh it was a fantastic read. Murtagh has always been my favourite morally grey character and to have a whole 600+ page book dedicated to him and Thorn was everything I could have wanted (besides just being back in this world again). 

Getting to learn more about Murtagh's character arc and see where life took him and Thorn after all the events that transpired throughout the Inheritance Cycle  was fascinating. I felt as though we were really given a chance to get to know them as more than 'the vilains' and it was beautiful.

To see how their tortured past (especially with Galbatorix) triggers them still was heartbreaking and so realistic in a person. The empathy I felt was overwhelming at times - I just wanted to reach through the pages of the book and give them both a big hug. It warms my heart to know that they are least have comfort in each other.

The character growth from both of them in this novel was incredibly impressive, working through the torments of their memories and wanting and trying to get through the other side was so inspiring but what really drove that inspiration further was that it wasn't done overnight. With Thorn especially, we really got a deeper understanding of how his forced growth as a hatchling and cruel trials Galbatorix made him go through affected him still and how he struggled awfully with confined spaces because of that. It was was heartbreaking to see his frustration and fear, being stuck in the cruel moments of the past that brought the fear on.

A theme I really enjoyed in Murtagh was the significant role dreams played - I believe that was also a concept in TSIASOS, so I found it intriguing to see how differently Paolini explores that theme in his sci-fi and in his fantasy, respectively.

A little side note here, but I couldn't help but love the little notes of "mmm", or 'hrmph'.. It just felt so intrinsically human.

I loved getting to see more of the world and did get annoyed at Murtagh's endless curiosity always getting him into trouble, but the things we discovered about the goings on after what we hoped would be a long lasting peace was worrying and I'm so eager to find out what happens next!

What else is in store for Murtagh and Thorn?

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Violence, Torture, Kidnapping, Xenophobia, Death, Slavery, Confinement, Child abuse, Grief, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Physical abuse, Gore, and Gaslighting

pensandpicks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Emotional abuse

vbzshenanigans's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gaslighting, Death, Violence, and Torture

Moderate: Physical abuse, Murder, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts

headrickjeanne's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Absolutely loved. Just remember as with many Paolini books, you may feel like it needs to be shorter than what it is.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Violence, Child abuse, Trafficking, War, and Torture

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

amanda_amidala_organa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Murtagh remains my forever favorite character in fantasy storytelling, and this book is an absolute gift. I always felt like I deeply understood this tragic and tortured (yet somehow stubbornly hopeful) character - and Christopher Paolini’s writing confirmed so many feelings and theories. This was a powerful deep dive into trauma and choosing a more difficult but morally right path, and yet again I continue to be blown away so many years later by the world building and heart balanced in the stories of Alagaësia. Here’s to so many more ahead. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Emotional abuse, War, Trafficking, Violence, Death, Confinement, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, and Blood

natashalg's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The visions and the antagonist of the book really creeped me out. It was also a little slow in the beginning and somewhat drug on like the previous books.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Gore, Child death, Blood, Death, and Torture

Moderate: Trafficking and Slavery

v_neptune's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Death, Child abuse, Animal death, Bullying, Grief, Confinement, Murder, Animal cruelty, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Child death, and Domestic abuse

fromjuliereads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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

It was fantastic being back in the world of Alagaesia! I found parts of the story a bit slow but the insight into Murtagh and Thorn as characters were absolutely fantastic! There were parts that I cried when they recounted their experiences and trauma. 
I'm interested to see what Paolini will do next in the Inheritance Cycle!

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Torture, Death, Violence, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Blood, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Confinement

PTSD

bibliomania_express's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

Wow, this book. It starts a bit slow, but the slow build is necessary to balance all the wild emotions in the second half. Murtagh and Thorn face challenges beyond anything in the Inheritance Cycle, and I was so mad at this book for putting them through it, even as I was awed by the depth of feeling and complexity in thos book. 

I cried. I yelled in anger. I paced my apartment, afraid to pick it back up but unable to resist because I needed to know what happened next. 

I love that we got to see more of Murtagh's past, how the court of Galbatorix functioned and shaped him. Paolini gives shape to Murtagh's bond with Tornac, and it's so fundamental and beautiful, even with its tragic end. 

There's a lot of triggers for this book beyond your general death and gore. Both Murtagh and Thorn are dealing with PTSD, and Thorn suffers from intense claustrophobia. There are scenes of torture, mass death, and intense isolation and captivity. 

I obviously won't spoil the end, but I will say it was so necessary after everything this book put me through. Now I have to lament the years before Paolini write the next book in this world, as there are some loose ends yet to be tied off.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Violence, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder

Moderate: Kidnapping, Gore, Blood, and Slavery