Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan

74 reviews

zinn24's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-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

4.75

I have loved both books in this series- transporting fantasy and the second book was better for me than the first! If you love fantasy or mythology retellings, this series is a worthy addition to your to-read list, especially if you have yet to venture into the beautiful world of Chinese myth.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: Violence

kenny_2288's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, War, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Blood, Classism, and Death

ctara2123's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Violence, Child death, and Murder

theycallmebookish's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring sad 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? No

4.25

Ms. Tan did it again! This beautiful sequel has the same gorgeous imagery as the first and did not disappoint. I found this book to be more soap opera like than the first which caught my attention because the angst, oh the angst! We learn more about each character without it feeling overdone or dragged out. I also enjoyed how the more violent aspects of the book were handled and appreciated how the main character was not afraid to get her hands dirty. Xingyin is a strong main character who so well developed and thought out. It was a great end to this duology. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Violence

bree_h_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Infidelity, Violence, Murder, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Child death, Grief, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Stalking

guessgreenleaf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Blood, Death, Murder, Violence, and War

aims122's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, War, and Violence

Moderate: Murder and Child death

Minor: Gaslighting and Death of parent

In the first book, Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Xingyin went through a lot and there's a lot of references back to things that happened in the first book. Namely to a betrayal, abduction and imprisonment by someone whom she trusted. This is referenced quite a bit throughout the book, especially in the beginning.

moon_peach's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

I loved this book more than the original. I understand why some might be unhappy but I was hooked and on the edge of my seat on every page.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and War

sofiadanielle's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Hmmm. I think the first book in the duology is stronger, as many have said in their reviews. I do agree with the critiques of pacing for scenes of heightened action, of course; I felt this too while reading the first book, and have likened this to be Sue Lynn Tan’s writing style. 

I feel conflicted about the last 50 pages, though I think I maybe agree with the decisions made, even if I had ‘hoped’ for something else. 

My qualms aside, I deeply loved the universe and characters created in this story. Will absolutely be getting Tales of the Celestial Kingdom upon release, to finally lay this series to rest. I loved starting my reading year with this storyline :)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Death of parent, and Violence

llamameemaw's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

3.25

I loved the first book so much, I just wish that there was more time spent and this were a trilogy rather than a duology. I loved seeing the characters again, but the plot initially felt forced and then we jumped around with major events happening left and right without much build up or exposition. Not until the last third of the book did it come into it's own. I did think that it ended perfectly and am glad I stuck it out. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Violence