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Reviews tagging 'Ableism'
The Fragile Threads of Power (Signed Edition) by V.E. Schwab, V.E. Schwab
5 reviews
some_random_person_hi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-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? Yes
3.75
Holland ilysm being in denial abt you dying in ACOL paid off 🥰
All around, felt like fanservice for ADSOM fans but I'm the fan that's getting served so I'm not complaining. Kosika chapters were kinda draggy at times (but also really engaging at other times!) From a pacing standpoint this book has so many problems. I also doubt that it can be understood well/easily/at all by someone who didn't read the ADSOM trilogy beforehand because of the sheer number of characters.
All around, felt like fanservice for ADSOM fans but I'm the fan that's getting served so I'm not complaining. Kosika chapters were kinda draggy at times (but also really engaging at other times!) From a pacing standpoint this book has so many problems. I also doubt that it can be understood well/easily/at all by someone who didn't read the ADSOM trilogy beforehand because of the sheer number of characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Torture, Death, and Ableism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Kidnapping, Homophobia, and Blood
Self harm is to get blood for magic.g_monaghan's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.0
I adore the characters in the darker shades of magic trilogy however I was slightly disappointed with this book - I thought this novel was a final installment and not the beginning of a new series set in the same world. This is my own misunderstanding but I think the expectation ruined my reading experience slightly, despite this some interesting characters have been added to the mix and the storyline is now set up for a 2 or 3 book installment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Torture, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Ableism
Minor: Classism and Suicidal thoughts
martinatan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I am so so glad I got a hold of this at my library! What an electrifying return to one of my favorite series. I loved that we got the perspectives of known characters and new ones with a really interesting plot that delves further into this universe’s magic and politics. The writing style is just endlessly compelling and one of my favorite things about the fantasy genre crossed with these characters. They’re so dramatic and sharp-witted!
My favorite character coming out of this was Tes though I’m a long-time Lila stan. I really enjoyed her personality and the choices she made that felt true to her background. There were so many intriguing hooks for the next installment to build on and I am really interested to see where everyone ends up—hopefully coming together to overcomesome combination of The Hand + some more sinister eldritch magic power as alluded by Holland’s speech and the door to the space between worlds ? Or is that too cliche?
Some things I’d really like to see developed in the next book:What Holland’s actual physicality and presence is made of. How is his spirit and supposed ongoing life mission still intact and developing if he is … dead ??? How much is he just a part of Kosika’s head? Can he live on in her through his magic? I am sure this could be addressed if Tes and Kosika were to ever meet.
Also, something I was a little dissatisfied with at no real fault of the author is the “disabled guy gets healed” plot that played out with Kell’s arc this book. I am much more satisfied these days by stories that don’t post the potentially forever-injured hero as someone who needs to be cured. It felt wrong to see Kell sort of revert to his normal power at the end—even if he went through such undeserved and intense pain throughout the book. More to the point of what disability could look like in this amazing world Schwab has created, what does it look like for an Antari to never be quite physically recovered from a traumatic event? I hope we explore more of the consequences and changes to Kell’s outlook, since it would also feel wrong for him to not have learned anything about himself or how he thinks about magic from having lost his own powers.
That kind of leads me to one last thing I liked along the lines of disability/neurodivergence in this book: Tes! She really resonated with me as a character because of how neurodivergent-coded she was. It hit me so hard when I read one line about her devising techniques over the years to mask her own power—and then to have her suddenly recognized for that gift, albeit by very powerful and ambitious people who perhaps are reluctant to release or distribute their power (royalty kind of sucks that way). I am interested to see if Schwab picks up on any of these narrative themes that interest me because they hold so much space in my head in the real world. I don’t need to see a complete replication of all the power dynamics in my world in this one, but it is a really fun thought exercise for me to imagine how social justice and disability representation would play out.
Anyway great book! I love fantasy dawg
My favorite character coming out of this was Tes though I’m a long-time Lila stan. I really enjoyed her personality and the choices she made that felt true to her background. There were so many intriguing hooks for the next installment to build on and I am really interested to see where everyone ends up—hopefully coming together to overcome
Some things I’d really like to see developed in the next book:
Also, something I was a little dissatisfied with at no real fault of the author is the “disabled guy gets healed” plot that played out with Kell’s arc this book. I am much more satisfied these days by stories that don’t post the potentially forever-injured hero as someone who needs to be cured. It felt wrong to see Kell sort of revert to his normal power at the end—even if he went through such undeserved and intense pain throughout the book. More to the point of what disability could look like in this amazing world Schwab has created, what does it look like for an Antari to never be quite physically recovered from a traumatic event? I hope we explore more of the consequences and changes to Kell’s outlook, since it would also feel wrong for him to not have learned anything about himself or how he thinks about magic from having lost his own powers.
That kind of leads me to one last thing I liked along the lines of disability/neurodivergence in this book: Tes! She really resonated with me as a character because of how neurodivergent-coded she was. It hit me so hard when I read one line about her devising techniques over the years to mask her own power—and then to have her suddenly recognized for that gift, albeit by very powerful and ambitious people who perhaps are reluctant to release or distribute their power (royalty kind of sucks that way). I am interested to see if Schwab picks up on any of these narrative themes that interest me because they hold so much space in my head in the real world. I don’t need to see a complete replication of all the power dynamics in my world in this one, but it is a really fun thought exercise for me to imagine how social justice and disability representation would play out.
Anyway great book! I love fantasy dawg
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Ableism, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Medical content, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Torture, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Grief, Biphobia, Classism, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Death, and Death of parent
chronicacademia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Biphobia, Alcohol, and Infidelity
Minor: Animal death
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Nearly all readers share one major dilemma. After finishing a book or series that we love with all of our hearts, there's an intense desire to revisit it for the first time all over again. However, that's an impossible task--or is it? I think V.E. Schwab made the impossible possible when she decided to write The Fragile Threads of Power, giving us all the chance to visit Red London for the first time... again.
While the author has mentioned that this book can be read as a starting point, I personally believe this book should only be read after completing the Shades of Magic trilogy. Without the original story to preface this one, there would be a great deal missing, both emotionally and in relation to the plot. Aside from a handful of new faces, the cast remains the same (and their history is intrinsic to this story--from the names they've given their ships to the "jewelry" they wear).
I was lucky to buddy-read this ARC with a friend of mine. I say that I was lucky because sharing this experience with someone else who loves this world as much as I do was such a blast! Between our constant late-night texts and the ridiculous number of comments in our buddy-read chat, we probably sent over 350 notes to one another about our thoughts as we read. It definitely brought out the "chaotic reader" side in both of us! If you have the ability to read this one with a fellow Shades of Magic lover, I highly recommend it for the peak reading experience.
Since this is the first in a continuation, there were a few new characters that have yet to be fully fleshed out. While I had hoped that we would learn even more about them in this book, I'm excited to continue getting to know them as the series goes on. I have a feeling there will be a lot of great character development as the story unfolds. Tes is absolutely fascinating to me and I just know that she's going to blow us all away (I mean, she already did in this initial book, so I can only imagine that there's plenty more where that came from).
If you think you're ready for the emotional rollercoaster that is The Fragile Threads of Power, I can assure you that you're not. In the span of one chapter, you will be giggling and kicking your feet at something adorable, then proceeding to want to throw the book across the room, and finally, you'll be sobbing and thinking your heart is actually being wrenched out of your chest. It's a lot... but in the best way. Schwab never fails to astound with her stunning writing and storytelling abilities.
The only real "critique" I have about this book is actually a spoiler, which is quite frustrating. However, if you are a disabled person, you may want to know about this ahead of time.There is a magical cure trope in this book. Now, I struggle with this one, because to a degree, it felt as though it fit the story. Kell's magic has been broken and it's causing him pain, therefore, the ideal thing would be to find something that heals him. However, the way that it's approached felt slightly insensitive and made me a little bit sad to read, as Lila really pushes it on him and seems to only care about his magic, rather than caring about him as a whole individual. Take this one with a grain of salt, folks. I know everyone stands in a different place when it comes to this topic, but seeing as this is my review, these are my thoughts on the matter.
I'm writing this review a full two months after reading the book and I can say that, without a doubt, it is still a 5-star read. I know I will be rereading this one again and again in the future, just as I have with Shades of Magic. It felt like it was perfectly in sync with the original story and brought me so much excitement and happiness. I look forward to seeing what V.E. Schwab has up her sleeve for the coming books in this series. I know there will be even more creativity and adventure to come!
While the author has mentioned that this book can be read as a starting point, I personally believe this book should only be read after completing the Shades of Magic trilogy. Without the original story to preface this one, there would be a great deal missing, both emotionally and in relation to the plot. Aside from a handful of new faces, the cast remains the same (and their history is intrinsic to this story--from the names they've given their ships to the "jewelry" they wear).
I was lucky to buddy-read this ARC with a friend of mine. I say that I was lucky because sharing this experience with someone else who loves this world as much as I do was such a blast! Between our constant late-night texts and the ridiculous number of comments in our buddy-read chat, we probably sent over 350 notes to one another about our thoughts as we read. It definitely brought out the "chaotic reader" side in both of us! If you have the ability to read this one with a fellow Shades of Magic lover, I highly recommend it for the peak reading experience.
Since this is the first in a continuation, there were a few new characters that have yet to be fully fleshed out. While I had hoped that we would learn even more about them in this book, I'm excited to continue getting to know them as the series goes on. I have a feeling there will be a lot of great character development as the story unfolds. Tes is absolutely fascinating to me and I just know that she's going to blow us all away (I mean, she already did in this initial book, so I can only imagine that there's plenty more where that came from).
If you think you're ready for the emotional rollercoaster that is The Fragile Threads of Power, I can assure you that you're not. In the span of one chapter, you will be giggling and kicking your feet at something adorable, then proceeding to want to throw the book across the room, and finally, you'll be sobbing and thinking your heart is actually being wrenched out of your chest. It's a lot... but in the best way. Schwab never fails to astound with her stunning writing and storytelling abilities.
The only real "critique" I have about this book is actually a spoiler, which is quite frustrating. However, if you are a disabled person, you may want to know about this ahead of time.
I'm writing this review a full two months after reading the book and I can say that, without a doubt, it is still a 5-star read. I know I will be rereading this one again and again in the future, just as I have with Shades of Magic. It felt like it was perfectly in sync with the original story and brought me so much excitement and happiness. I look forward to seeing what V.E. Schwab has up her sleeve for the coming books in this series. I know there will be even more creativity and adventure to come!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Physical abuse, and Death
Moderate: Torture, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Misogyny, Cursing, and Murder
Minor: Gore and Vomit
In regards to Kell’s inability to use his magic…
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