Reviews tagging 'Death'

Книга шипов и огня by Рэй Карсон, Rae Carson

9 reviews

maddie321's review against another edition

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

3.0

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bookdragon1000's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring medium-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

I love this book! I’ve reread it several times in the last couple of years and it never loses its quick and emotional storyline with an amazing character whom really grows into her power. The world is amazing too - an original mix of Spain and Arabia with an interesting colonialism element. Carson doesn’t shy away from the more serious aspects of the court and shows just how difficult it could be for a foreign princess to marry into a court that still loved their latest queen and were expecting her to be the same. Love it! 
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somberlittleman's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

I wanted to like this book more—I’ve loved other books of Rae Carson’s—but I admit I was very disappointed by how much this book seems to loathe fatness and fat people. I was pleasantly surprised that the main hero was a fat girl in the beginning of the story, only to be strongly disappointed that
she gets a skinny glow-up by starving partway through.
Because of that, this is the first book of Carson’s I didn’t speed through in a day. 

It’s still a fun adventure. But maybe don’t recommend this book to any teenage girls, or anyone else who struggles with body image and weight stigma.
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oruairc's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

4.0

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kassidyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

3.0

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jesticulate's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book was really frustrating for me. On the one hand, it was a fun adventure story with a clever, brave female protagonist. On the other hand, it was the most fatphobic book I’ve ever read. 

The edition I read had two passages added at the end the from the author talking about her relationship with weight and it’s presence in the book. Both I think we’re added post publication and do not repair the harm of the prior 400 pages fat-shaming. 

The book opens with the protagonist describing herself as a pig and a stuffed sausage. Not a chapter in the first half passed without bad self-talk regarding her weight. Worse than that though, half way through the book she starts to get more confident, useful, and powerful. This of course corresponds with her getting thinner - regardless of the authors statements, this book ties the her moral character and worthiness directly to her weight in every chapter. When other people (later, When she’s skinny) say she would be pretty if she got fat again, this is considered ‘kindness’. 

I read the whole book partially because I like a fun adventure, partially because I was outraged, and partially because I wanted to leave a fully informed review. 

If you have a history of disordered eating, trauma around food, or just are sick of this bullshit - please don’t read this book. It’s not worth it. 
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blueandblack14's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

4.0

Elisa is such a strong, amazing character. Throughout the story, she is constantly developing and becoming an inspiration to those around her. 
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cleo_wylde's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring 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

3.75

less of a plot spoiler and more a general one: the main character is a fat woman and she experiences a lot of internalised fatphobia as well as fatphobia and weight stigma from others. She often "comfort eats" or binges and this is seen as a bad/lazy/gross thing. Her weight loss (which is in part due to food scarcity) is celebrated. I found it really frustrating, tbh. Why not just have a fat character??? </Spoiler>

A heads up that this is a pretty religious book (fictional religion) and there are lots of religious themes, praying, missions from God, etc. If that's something that bothers you or that you don't like, you may want to skip this one.
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lizziaha's review against another edition

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  • Strong character development? Yes

3.5

I loved this book as a teenager and if anything, that nostalgia is pulling my rating up. Unfortunately the way that race and weight were handled in this were not to my liking at all and are problematic. 
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