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Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

50 reviews

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Holly Black really writes wonderful books. Despite Surren's character development she doesn't entirely change. Years of trauma aren't wiped away, but she does realize she has more power over her life than she thought. I'm so excited to read the second book.

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I seriously *struggled* to get through this book. Had to restart over a dozen times just to keep track of who/where/what was going on.

Honestly should've DNF'd

Not sure whether it's been too long since I read TCP trilogy (2.5 yrs), but I cannot remember the past characters or events well enough to connect with the any of the MCs here. The storyline is flat for 90% of the book and I kept feeling like I was -missing- something (so I restarted each chapter at least once). 

I planned on reading the duology but have decided to preemptively DNF the Prisoner's  Throne. So so so disappointed 😞 

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Definitely not the same as the Cruel Prince, but it still had that fairytale essence that I love. But with that being said, I really did miss my conniving little Queen, Jude, though. I felt like it really lacked that element of gray, that Jude always gave; the one that always kept you on your toes and on the edge of your seat in suspense, questioning where it would lead and how it would end, so I didn’t read it as quickly as I did with the Folk of the Air trilogy. I do really love Oak and Wren though, enough so that I’m gonna ignore the fact that I figured out the whole plot in the first few chapters😅

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Only took off a quarter star because there was some weird nonsensical tense-switching. (At least in the audiobook)

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

THIS DAMN BOOK. Wren is my love, I will defend her always 

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book sucked me in as much as The Cruel Prince did (and it certainly didn't hurt that I feel as if I'm starving for even a taste of Jude and Cardan again). Wren is such an interesting character and not one that I see often. I'm always hunting for more fae stories and this one did not disappoint!

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adventurous dark medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

An average spin-off to The Folk of the Air trilogy that seemed only to be written as a way to capitalize off its predecessor's success. While this story added more lore to Faerieland's monarchy and explored the repercussions of a changeling's upbringing, there are far too many critiques to be ignored.

First and foremost, Oak's characterization was so wildly unbelievable compared to the beloved child we met in TFOTA. I understand this book takes place 8 years after QON and Oak has been forced into a dangerous position but there wasn't even a hint of the wholesome little boy we once knew. Nine year old Oak refused to learn proper swordplay and never showed an ounce of romantic interest in then-bridled Queen Suren. Holly Black simply copy and pasted Cardan's characterization onto Oak's teenage personality but toned down the cruelty/hatred.

Wren's storyline held so much promise since she had such a heartbreaking past to explore. Unfortunately, her characterization became convoluted amongst her confusing decisions and the forced romance. I never became invested in Wren because it felt as-if Holly Black didn't know how to explore the multi-faceted narrative when she's so accustomed to writing bad-ass female leads.

I went into this book expecting the author's clever twists and schemes but instead received a slow-paced quest and predictable ending. It wasn't as bad as the Modern Faerie Tales but nowhere near as captivating as The Folk of the Air trilogy.

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