Reviews with content warning for Death - The Shadow Rising

Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan

10 reviews

thebruce's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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matrim's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Es mi tercera vez leyendo este libro y sigo encontrado información nueva. Muchas semillas son planteadas y muchas otras están floreciendo.

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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

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

3.0

Writing: 2.25⭐️/5

*Some Spoilers*

The repetition in Jordan’s writing returns, but this is not my biggest complaint with this novel. My biggest complaint is the first half of the novel (so just a very short 500 pages) is dedicated to misogyny and sexism. The amount of times I wanted to stop reading this book because it really felt like Jordan didn’t like writing about women (at least, clothed women) was honestly too many.

And then, the second half. It’s not a review of a Jordan novel without conflicting opinions. And, wow, did Jordan deliver. The second 500 pages contained some large sections of prose that I thoroughly enjoyed. The section when Rand is in Rhuidean and witnessing the history of the Aiel? Wow. So cool. The section where Rand is fighting in Rhuidean? So damn interesting.

So, I’m gonna do the only thing I can: I’m splitting the difference. The first half of the book would have truly been a 2, the second half about a 3.75. And so, he gets a 2.75.

Characters: 3⭐️/5

*Some Spoilers*

I wish Jordan could keep his characters a touch more consistent. I did enjoy some of the growth around Faile, though I still can’t stand how both she and Perrin treat each other. Mat’s sections left him feeling useless and tangential to the story, with only a few sections (outside of his objectification of every woman ever) being of true importance. However, I did find Rand all the more interesting and complex in this section. Overall, I just wish the characters could keep a consistent voice and tone, instead of feeling like traced outlines of who they could be. Also, just really wish not every male character resorts to misogyny at the first little shove.

Plot: 3.75⭐️/5

*Some Spoilers*

The plot is unnecessarily slow at the beginning of the novel, leaving chapters upon chapters to be padded with misogyny and sexism and the forbidden ankles of serving gals. As the novel picked up, I found myself thoroughly entertained and enthralled to see what happened next (outside of the comments on women’s bodies and all the women just getting naked randomly). Perrin’s sections seemed the most contrived with the slowest moving sections where Jordan had people conveniently forget or become unwilling to do things in order to send them to do them later (hey, Loial). Also, we have an entire section where we are led to believe the stakes against Perrin are high, only to have Perrin pull a “well actually” on delivering those stakes. Felt unnecessarily confusing. However, I will say Rand and Nynaeve/Elayne’s sections were truly enjoyable, and I looked forward to their rotation. And, Jordan’s battle scenes are quite fun to read, even if they’re a bit predictable.

Who Should Read This Book?

Those who read books one, two, and three of The Wheel of Time (The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, and The Dragon Reborn) and are able to overlook some misogyny

Content Warnings?

Toxic relationships, blood, gore, abuse, domestic abuse, war, sexual assault, toxic friendships, gaslighting, misogyny, sexism, death, murder, injury, injury detail, sexual harassment, emotional abuse, slavery, animal death, child death,

Post-Reading Rating: 4.25⭐️/5

I actually enjoy the ending of Jordan’s books, generally a lot more than the beginning.

Final Rating: 3.25⭐️/5

I can see why, outside of the misogyny, people love the story. The misogyny is so overwhelming though, like too much cilantro in an otherwise savoury dish – when I’m allergic to cilantro.

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iloponis's review

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adventurous medium-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

4.0

very good, less formulaic than the first three

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rorikae's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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

4.5

'The Shadow Rising' is a great fourth installment in the 'Wheel of Time' series. This book sees some significant plot points and I felt that it advanced the story more than some of the previous books. I know that some of the upcoming books will start to drag so I am using the positive momentum from this book to head into the rest of the series.

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diazona's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.25

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nahlaaly56's review

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book was so rich. Definitely my Favourite WOT Book So Far. I loved spending time with Elayne, her POV chapters were a joy because she's my favourite character.

I also loved Egeanin, such an interesting woman and her growth and friendship with Elayne and to a degree Nynaeve were so fun to watch.

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kurumipanda's review

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adventurous funny mysterious 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

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readandfindout's review

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adventurous medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes

4.25

On first read: 5 stars

2022 reread:

Style/writing: 4 stars
Themes: 3.5 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 5 stars
Worldbuilding: 5 stars

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