Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

18 reviews

cararowen's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

Colonizer trash meets beauty and the beast, plot requires main character to have no sense, does not have any actual character development, dubious consent for so so many scenes. Very my first romance novel vibes.

Feyra is not like the other girls, she's special, she's not hot but ever fairy man desires her, she's unable to listen to the most basic instructions, beauty and the beast is about compromise, this is about ignoring your boyfriend is rich because his daddy owned people and having your main character intoxicated and/or enchanted and/or manipulated into every sexual situation then claiming it's love. It's about having zero feelings of guilt when you get other people in trouble or dead and being consistently rewarded.

I have never disliked a text more than this one.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Blood, and Xenophobia

Minor: Slavery, Stalking, War, Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Gore, Misogyny, Death of parent, Sexism, Sexual content, and Domestic abuse

rsagarin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, Classism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Alcohol, Drug use, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Murder, Misogyny, Sexism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Chronic illness, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Torture

passionatereader78's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Body shaming, Blood, Animal death, Classism, Murder, Hate crime, and Bullying

Minor: Death of parent and Death

usuallyaudio's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

1.5

I had heard mixed reviews about this book going in. I am a huge fantasy fan and was excited seeing as this book is a major bestseller. More like a major let down. I don't even want to get into how disappointed I was, there were multiple times where I had to drag my eyeballs down from the back of my head. The writing level was very YA which is understandable, seeing as my library has it catalogued that way. However there is some very intense gore, and a few sex scenes-but it was the descriptive violence that got me.

Thematic events were WAY over-explained, does the author think that we are so stupid that we didn't understand what she had lain out? Or is it that she thinks she's so clever that readers couldn't possibly keep up? This happened more than once, and had me vibrating with irritation.

The story seemed very slow for the first 3/4 of the book, then at the end had everything happen at once, I felt like I was waiting and waiting for something to happen. The "love" story was developping in the earlier half of the book, but I couldn't see any chemistry or romance between the leads. It just felt very obvious (along with so many other parts of the story) and I didn't feel any connection to the characters at ALL.

Once finishing this book I let out a "FINALLY!!!" and told myself I would not continue the series. But apparently I am a masochist because I just checked out the next book to see if maaaybe it gets any better. Or because I have nothing better to do. Putting my prediction for future books here without knowing anything about them- there is definitely going to be a love triangle between the lead and the two fae high-lords. I can see it already, and don't like it! UGH!!

PS I am so sorry if anyone reads this review, I am just tracking my reading for myself and don't know if this is public or not.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, and Body horror

Moderate: Blood and Murder

Minor: Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Death of parent

bear_ridge_tarot's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 This is a very popular fantasy book and I was expected it to be as good as advertised. While ACOTAR was an overall enjoyable read for me, the book had a few very glaring things it lacked. I enjoy a thick book with a lot of world-building, and this one fits that description. There is a rich history in the lands of Pyrthian, that I want to know more. 

But I don't like lackluster characters, and the MCs are lacking in depth. Their relationship also sorely lacks, and while it's obvious to everyone around them it is being forced, the allusion to a Beauty & Beast trope didn't work for me. I found the supporting characters of Lucien and Rhysand were more interesting to me than Feyra and Tamlin. 

This book also comes with a number of trigger warnings for me, including toxic/abusive relationships, ablism, Stockholm syndrome, and violence of multiple kinds. I will at least give the next book a chance to further develop the depths of the characters before washing my hands of the series, because I loved the world the story is set in so much. 

 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror, Violence, Body shaming, Classism, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

alixsbooktherapy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Blood, Cursing, Abandonment, and Body horror

31 23 54 56 The writing *chefs kiss* I'm zipping through this book it's so addicting I love Sarah j. maas's writing so much I love how everything is so descriptive especially with the creature Feyre was one of my favorite characters they were so brave and not afraid of much even if it was life or death, anything to protect their family "Don't marry Tomas mandray his father beats his wife" "If you ever escape,ever convince them that you've our the debt don't return" I hadn't expected a heart-wrenching good-bye, but I hadn't imagined this,either "You to somewhere new--- and you make a name for yourself Lucien seemed like a dick at first but a part of me likes him, Lucien wants to kill feyre but the beast thinks her life in that hovel was hell enough Prythian "Lucien he could do with someone snapping at him, if you've got the courage for it" The charcter building is so amazing this is such a huge page turner Tamlin holy fuck he's so hott "he was probably handsome if he ever took off that mask" Tamlin seemed super caring especially when feyre mentioned how her mother had been killed "I would have Been gentle with you though I would have you moaning my name throughout it all. And I would have taken a very, very long time,Feyre" When Tamlin kissed feyre I kicked my feet and smiled so big "You're exactly as I dreamed you'd be too" tamlin man I'm shaking Tamlin and feyres romance was so cute especially when feyre was drunk on faerie wine and was dancing and Lucien tried to stop her and tamlin said "Dance feyre " and admired her Will-o'-the-wisps was so amazing also when tamlin and feyre danced with eachother "dance with me feyre" "I'm thinking I might kiss you" he said "Then do it" feyre replied "You're just amarntha's whore" I cried when tamlin informed Feyre she'd have to go home because of Amarntha. The sex scence holy 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 "I love you" he whispered "thorns and all" I'm so in love with this book. I was manifesting for Feyre to save tamlin and for tamlin and her to end up together THE ENDING OH MY GOD Sarah j. Mass you won my heart! I'm so excited to read book 2!

indyyxoxo's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Animal death, and Death

Moderate: Sexual violence, War, Slavery, Murder, Vomit, Violence, Grief, Ableism, Sexual content, and Physical abuse

Minor: Body shaming, Death of parent, Child death, and Domestic abuse

lqne's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Murder, Slavery, Classism, Confinement, Death, Torture, War, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, and Vomit

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Rape, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Excrement, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity

katievallin's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.0

What in the world did I just read?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Gore, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming and Sexual content

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

0.25

The main character is impossibly bland and frustrating. She is put through countless toxic or downright abusive situations. Both potential love interests are toxic and abusive. Her family is neglectful and abusive. This classifies, at best, as a dark romance. If you are already unimpressed by the offerings of that genre you will not have a good time reading this. The first sixty percent of the book is boring and toxic. After that it is no longer as boring but triple toxic.  
The audiobook narrator does good with the material she is given but this is definitely not a tale for me. People say the next book is better and this is the worst book in the series but I am not giving this author a second chance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Animal death, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Slavery, Death, Sexual content, Confinement, Vomit, Gaslighting, Rape, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Grief, Drug abuse, and Alcoholism

Moderate: War, Death of parent, Body shaming, Body horror, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Cursing, and Classism