Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Le Prix du sang by Sabaa Tahir

41 reviews

yliana's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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

this series is everything. idk what it is about sabaa tahir's writing but it just pulls you right into the story. laia is struggling so much right now and i loved seeing how different people in her life supported her in different ways. honestly, i really hated blood shrike when i finished the second book but now, not so much. she's a very complicated person and i hate a lot of what she's done in the past and in this book but there's also a very present human side of her that really shines in this book.
that's definitely something i really appreciate about this series. the way that tahir writes these characters makes it really hard for you to fully hate them (except for marcus, he's a piece of shit). i also think the fallout of genocide was also handled very well. laia's lines about hating war and not seeing the point of it even when the people being decimated are the same people who tortured, abused, and sought to kill her people felt very real. absolutely no one wins in a war. everyone will lose someone important to them and that will spur on the need for revenge. it makes it so hard to stop violence because so few people are able to let go of their need to take what was taken from them. but then it also makes it hard to hate the "enemy" when you see how the violence affects them. every character in this series has to come to terms with this and it's so interesting and real to see how they each handle it so differently.
sabaa tahir is such an amazing writer. i truly love this series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Physical abuse, Grief, Genocide, Death, Child death, Torture, Murder, and Medical content

Moderate: Xenophobia and Classism

esconce's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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? No

4.5

Not my favorite book of the whole series, and sometimes felt like the pacing was off.. BUT I loved the characters so much that it really doesn’t matter that much. It’s definitely a good book and makes the series feel a lot closer to being completed. I love that Helene and Harpers relationship is growing and just over all good book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Cursing, Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Genocide, Classism, Murder, and Stalking

Moderate: Sexism, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, and Mental illness

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Trafficking

vel629vet's review against another edition

DNF

I tried. I just couldn’t. It was too dark. Extremely well designed and executed, but too dark. I saw child death as a moderate TW and thought I’d be fine but I couldn’t get past that scene. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Torture, Child death, and Violence

moserstopheles's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-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

5.0

love love love

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, War, Slavery, Violence, Rape, Sexual violence, and Torture

zcammack's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, War, Torture, and Murder

redhothabanero's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-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

4.5

This book wasn't as heart pounding as the first two were. Although it's still enthralling and a fantastic read. I really love all of Helene's chapters. I did not see the Cook twist coming. Can't wait to find out how this all ends. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Child death, Slavery, and Confinement

Minor: Torture

leaflit's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Slavery, War, Blood, Murder, Torture, Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Child death, Grief, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse

madamenovelist's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Vomit, Torture, Racism, Grief, Genocide, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Misogyny, Medical trauma, War, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Death of parent, Death, Physical abuse, Body horror, Classism, Blood, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Murder, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Rape, Violence, Domestic abuse, Cursing, and Confinement

eve_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Overall Thoughts:
⁕ The pacing of this book redeemed the slower second installment that was A Torch Against the Night. I put off reading this one because I was worried that it would also be full of slow, quest-based traveling, but it was not! The action once again picked up and I could not put the book down!

⁕ Helene/The Blood Shrike is given a spot in the limelight and I am absolutely obsessed with and attached to her character. No longer is she the lovesick schoolmate of Elias, but a woman and warrior caught between family, duty, and justice. I absolutely ATE up her arc and I can't wait for more.

⁕ SPOILER: Even though this might go against popular opinion, I dislike the decision to make Cook Laia's long thought dead mother. It is such a rushed revelation at the end of the novel, and there is no prior hint or clue ever given as to her true identity. It didn't feel like the mind blowing plot twist I think it was intended as.

To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Torture, Death, Violence, War, Death of parent, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, War, Xenophobia, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, and Death of parent