Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

108 reviews

milkylilia's review

adventurous 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? No

2.0

Stuff happens but it sure doesn't feel like it. Every character ultimately falls flat and no one stands out. Anyone remotely interesting is a brief side character whose existence feels like it's only serving Alina in the story (Genya, Baghra etc.) I get that they aren't the focus, the book would surely be better if they were, but no one feels real. I kinda just ended up hating everyone.

The worldbuilding and lore are starting off great, but the way its presented just isn't it. The story just doesn't have the cast to back it up. It feels hollow.

Also it was personally horribly triggering to me because (TW)

I see so much of my abuser and rapist in the Darkling.

. I don't understand how his behaviour isn't talked about more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, War, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault and Animal death

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.0

So I read the Six of Crows duology first because I loved the Crows in the TV series. But I want to now read the King of Scars duology and was told that in order to fully understand the next 2 books, I must read the trilogy. Plus the show got cancelled and I need to know how it ends 😅

Very true to the Netflix show, which is maybe why I got so bored with the book because I knew what was coming! A little too much telling over showing especially in the middle when it’s less action packed. There was a lot of good world building without info dumping right away which I always appreciate!

Entertaining enough, the first third was good but by the halfway point I was ready to be done 😩

The last couple of chapters were good and back to action packed, it really slumped in the middle. Alina is the typical YA “chosen one” in that she constantly points out how she’s not pretty which got annoying.

I need to read book 2 soon simply because it is a library book otherwise I wouldn’t be in any rush to continue the series. Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom are waaay better and I’m hoping the King of Scars duology is better too 🤞🏻

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and War

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Animal death

Minor: Sexual assault and Death of parent

billie_visible's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Sexual assault

swz's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and Death

Minor: Sexual assault

filipacmiranda's review

3.5

Shadow and Bone dumps the reader into Alina Starkov's journey as a cartographer turned Grisha. As a main character, Alina is somewhat relatable. She kept trying to find her place and belong - something everyone experiences at some point. And, even though she spent half the book sulking, I can give her a pass because she was emotionally deregulated and lost after being torn from the only person who reminded her of home. 

The reader learns things at Alina's pace and gets familiarised with Grisha orders as the story progresses. The lack of an explanation for how Ravka and the Grand/Little Palace worked made the story seem more natural and aligned with her discovery of a new reality. The fact that there's no magic system in this book (with the Small Science being the manipulation of the elements) also made the world it displays seem closer to reality. 

This was a pleasurable read with intriguing characters. After seeing how the Netflix show expanded on the original content and considering all the underlying storylines, I believe it could have benefited from other points of view. 

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1st Read (2020): 4.00 stars 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, and Violence

Moderate: Murder and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual assault

sginnaw's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Violence, Genocide, Gun violence, Animal death, Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Torture, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, War, and Emotional abuse

fadingmoths's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Toxic relationship and War

Minor: Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Classism

kaycanread4's review

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, and War

Minor: Sexual assault

brekker_by_brekker's review

adventurous emotional fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual assault

natyourusual_'s review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-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? No

2.5

It was a fun book. I think the biggest disappointment was in the characterization of the Darkling

(I really wanted him to just be a misunderstood antihero or to have a better goal overall to make him a justifiable villain but he’s just evil for evil’s sake and I don’t like that for him)

and I just don’t like Mal at all as a character, but it’s a solid YA fantasy book with a very interesting magic system and world. I devoured the first 3/4 of the book (it almost fooled me into thinking it’s adult fantasy very briefly because it was that good) but the final stretch was not what I wanted. The writing is very beautiful and I am excited to see where it goes anyways!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Gore

Moderate: Death and Violence

Minor: Classism, Sexual assault, War, and Chronic illness