Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

The Shadow Wand by Laurie Forest

3 reviews

sakusha's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I liked the first book in the series, but the books seem to get worse as they go on. 

This one was annoying and hard to get interested in, because so many different characters are introduced, and they all have weird names that are hard to remember, pronounce, and spell (like Myl’lynian’ir). I think it would’ve been better if the author stuck with what’s going on from Elloren’s point of view, rather than show all the perspectives of different characters who are in different locations interacting with different people. 

Thierren and Sparrow’s story was interesting and relevant (because these characters later interact with Elloren), and there weren’t too many characters in their story, but I disliked that the author chose to give Thierren a name so similar to another character—Tierney. 

Irrelevant sidestories: Wynter, Vothendrile, Trystan, Tierney, Yvan. 

Another complaint I have is how so many of these other characters start out their chapter looking out at some skyline/horizon. Can the author think of no other way to start a chapter?

Another annoying thing is how every character seems to instantly fall in love with some other gorgeous character they just met, and it’s described as their element surging or rushing or some other melodramatic word. 

I disliked that the mages in this story were made out to be so pure evil and selfish, when what was good about the first book was how everyone’s prejudice against others was justified.

Tierney’s story was the most annoying. Way too many characters with too many apostrophes in their names. And she’s all possessive over a river like she’s the only person in the world who can claim it. Are there really so many bodies of water in the world that each person can only get one? Isn’t overlap bound to happen? She refers to the Asra’il as “her people” (141). That kind of thinking is what starts racism in the first place—seeing yourself as belonging to a different group than others. Like just because someone is the same race as you, that automatically makes you think of them as family. At least Tierney later redeems herself by saying, “I do not have the luxury of uncomplicated hatred. And you need to let go of it, as well. The Gardnerians separate the world into the Blessed Ones and the Evil Ones. We can’t win this fight if we think that way” (165).

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Sexual harassment

ka_ke's review

adventurous dark 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

5.0

An incredible continuation of the Black Witch Chronicles. That being said

IF YVAN IS STILL ALIVE IM GONNA LOSE IT

Ellorens development continues to impress as she becomes a fully-formed character. The world building is so beautiful I wish I could be there! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Grief, Violence, War, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Cultural appropriation, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, and Animal death

Moderate: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Genocide

Minor: Cursing, Sexual violence, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, and Sexual harassment

mypatronusisajedi's review

adventurous dark emotional funny 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Child death, Classism, Racism, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, Blood, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and War