Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H.G. Parry

3 reviews

rynaissanceenby's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-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

4.0

I picked this book up because the title sounded intriguing, and it wasn't at all what I was expecting, but it was so incredibly good. It's basically a reimagining of the French Revolution and the goings on of Haiti and Britain during that time as if magic were real. The magic brings such an interesting dynamic to the story, and Parry does an amazing job of bringing major historical figures to life. I do think the book would be more enjoyable if I had more knowledge of the actual history of that time period. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Animal death

percys_panda_pillow_pet's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I never thought I'd be so invested in the Age of Enlightenment and Reign of Terror outside of history class, yet here I am! H.G. Parry is really a genius at blending historical facts and figures with magic and other fantasy elements. The characters were brilliantly crafted, even with the basis of their real-life historical counterparts. 

When I picked up A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians at my local library, I just thought the title sounded cool and the summary was intriguing. However, I had this fear that the historical elements would be too boring so I started putting off reading it. I'm really glad I just buckled myself down and got it done, though, because this was such a good and solid read. I really appreciate the characters more than anything. I was so invested in the outcome of their arcs, despite the flaws they all held. Robespierre was especially fantastic, as from his perspective the reader felt sympathetic to him and even rooted for him despite the atrocities he eventually committed. In the end, I really felt bad for him. Even throughout the book, I just sort of felt bad for him, due to the strings being pulled knowing and unknowingly. 

I think my only issue with the entire book was that by the end, though there were elements of the plot wrapped up, there were far more loose threads. It didn't feel like it could ever standalone apart from the series of books it belongs to. Of course, it is part of a series, so it's not expected to be totally independent, but I was definitely disappointed when I finished it and realized I didn't have the sequel on hand to start immediately. My recommendation for this series so far is to try and read all the books one after another if possible. Unfortunately, there are only two books of the series out so far, so that does limit that recommendation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

prof_pelon's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism