Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Lives of Saints by Leigh Bardugo

11 reviews

coffeestainsandinkspots's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Violence, and Death

Like stories of saints in the Christian faith, the people in these stories meet a variety of ends. Some of them graphic and violent.

nils_0's review

adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, War, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Torture, Abandonment, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Violence, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping

casdelvo's review against another edition

dark informative fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Religious bigotry, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Suicide, and War

peggy_racham's review against another edition

4.0

A collection of short stories.  I liked learning the history of the universe. Getting insight into the saints, the places and characters of grishaverse. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: War, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Physical abuse, Violence, Bullying, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, and Child death

writingcaia's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

4.0

Super dark and gory, and it all reads like scary tales to tell children.
Poor Saints, mostly had such misfortune.
There were some great ones, my favorite the first and last.
Also, the one about the unbreachable Crystal Palace… oh well The Crows didn’t find it so, ups.
I’m curious to see how these play out in the show, though. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder

theespressoedition's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

I struggle with rating or reviewing books like this because it's filled with so many stories that each one could receive its very own rating and review. It's precisely how I felt with The Language of Thorns as well!

However, I will say that I enjoyed this very much. Learning about all of the saints gave me such an in-depth look at the Grishaverse. It helped me understand so many of the references in the Shadow and Bone series, especially.

I listened to the audiobook and absolutely loved every minute of it. Ben Barnes narration was phenomenal as always. It will be a book I listen to again and again over the years, I just know it!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, and Torture

tahsintries's review

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture

penofpossibilities's review

fast-paced

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, and Self harm

Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, Torture, and Murder

Minor: War, Trafficking, and Terminal illness

talasterism's review against another edition

adventurous informative inspiring mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Animal death, Abandonment, Torture, and Blood

elthechameleon's review against another edition

informative lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

This book is good to read anytime after you complete the Shadow and Bone trilogy. It's good background knowledge to know for reading some of

Inej's dialogue and the story behind the Ice Court

before the Six of Crows duology. It is practically required reading before or during the King of Scars duology. This book alternatively spoke of worthy and merciful saints and some who died gruesome deaths. It does obliquely provide some commentary on religion, as I was reminded of some of the ghastly stories of saints I read as a Catholic growing up. Some of the stories can be explained by

Grisha power and some are due to good luck. It is hard to see this, especially after King of Scars, as an endorsement for a monolithic and irreproachable theological text. Aline's story is particularly fascinating, as it would have been impossible for a powerless Aline to come to the aid of the children. Praying does nothing in these tales

. My favorites include some of the stories that intersect with the main narrative, particularly those of Lizabeta, Grigori, Egmond, and the final two, which leave one with chills after reading. Another favorite is Magda, the patron saint of abandoned women; Leigh Bardugo does develop interesting women in her series. And it's fascinating that she chose to include Magda in this bound book, as a beacon for common, non-Grisha or noble women. Definitely worth the read. Do get it on audiobook, though. Ben Barnes, the actor who plays the Darkling in the tv show, reads half of the stories. His voice is sumptuous in these tellings, reflecting how these stories would have been related in the Grishaverse - lovingly snuck into your ear. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, and Abandonment

Mention of drowning. Gaslighting women. Definitely not all pleasant tales.