Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Lives of Saints by Leigh Bardugo

7 reviews

ced23's review against another edition

hopeful informative sad

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, and Gore

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

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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

kirstenpod_'s review

adventurous dark informative inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Blood

Minor: War, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Self harm

lindasoderlundd's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Blood, and Child death

Moderate: Child abuse and Violence

Minor: Abandonment, Death of parent, and War

therobinjoyce's review

dark informative inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

A gorgeous little book full of Grishaverse lore and so many tales about their saints. Very beautiful little read

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Abandonment, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Murder, and Misogyny

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

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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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, and Abandonment

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