Reviews tagging 'Death'

A Shadow Crown by Melissa Blair

17 reviews

datgirllani's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? No

5.0

“There was something achingly beautiful about knowing that he was the only one to see me entirely, my scars, my past, my names, while I was the only one who had seen him. We were both people who had receded into our pain, hiding ourselves away, only to find a refuge in each other. How could I ever want anyone else but him?”. I absolutely adored the first book and this one did not disappoint either. While reading, I could really feel Keera’s hurt and the influence of how hard it was for her to try to make peace with the Elverin. While romance does play a role in the book it is not the key note here. Though those few moments we get certainly make up for it. Seeing how the relationships between Keera (the main character) and Riven, Nikolai, and Syrra become more close and intimate was one of my favorite things to read. We get to see many new sides of Keera as she deals with love, loss, hurt and acceptance. The writing is very nice. I love how the author turns what could have been a few simple words into a deep, impactful sentence. I could go on and on about how much I love this book, series, and author. Please give it a read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Slavery, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Blood, Drug abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Injury/Injury detail

cryosphinx's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.25

I really enjoyed A Broken Blade, and was happy to find that A Shadow Crown improved on almost all aspects. I'd say it's slower paced with less action but there is a lot of focus on Keera and his history and healing journey and because of that, it grows apart from being overly tropey like the first book was but it does suffer from being slow since there's a lot of relationship building. This series warms my heart and the found family is one of the best I've read in this genre. While still not super unique, there's enough differences from other books in the genre that I still find it wholly entertaining and captivating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Sexual content, Alcoholism, and Colonisation

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Torture

_alyssar_'s review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, Slavery, Vomit, Gore, Kidnapping, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Blood

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

elskede's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, and Gaslighting

thmallory's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Self harm, Infidelity, Death, Murder, Child death, Rape, and Confinement

whitedaylilies's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Alcoholism, Death, and Sexual content

ljp817's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Self harm, and Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Addiction

Minor: Ableism, Gore, Blood, Torture, Drug abuse, Confinement, War, and Alcoholism

libbyleeereads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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

3.5

This book was really good and a great follow up to broken blade. I felt like the pace sowed down a bit but the character development was given a lot of time to grow. I like that the characters really seem to do things in relationships and planning with purpose and deliberation. While characters make mistakes, the mistakes are understandable when considering the characters. I love how the relationships grow and change through the book. I also love how the personal traumas and problems are a continuing struggle without seeming like they are whining. I can’t wait for the next book to come out!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Alcoholism, Death, and Self harm

lilhappyhermit's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

This continuation of Keera’s story was so beautiful. The obstacles she faces, both circumstantial and personal, was such an emotional journey. She allows herself to be venerable with those around her, regarding her history with grief and guilt, as she tries to find out more about her origins. The circumstances around her, while this deep diving occurs, became more intense as the story progressed and had me at the edge of my seat. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, and Torture

Minor: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape