Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

3 reviews

risaleel's review against another edition

adventurous reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, War, Colonisation, Sexual harassment, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Slavery, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Sexual content, Suicide, Misogyny, and Violence

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense 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

4.5

Why I Read It: 

I borrowed Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay from my library because I loved A Song for Arbonne. 

 

Review:

Guy Gavriel Kay is an amazing storyteller, and Tigana exemplifies his abilities. Despite the book’s grand scope and numerous point-of-view chapters, the central thread of the story remains strong. The characters are so complex and well-written that at times Kay made me root for the villain and denounce the heroes. Their actions serve as fascinating explorations into trauma and grief’s role in morality. His world feels real and textured, but he does not indulge in any unnecessary paragraphs describing aspects of the world just for the sake of it. Kay also has a strong grasp of how politics—both at the macro and micro level— are shaped by the environment, the actions of individual rulers, chance, and the actions of common people. 

 

My favorite part of Tigana is the ending. It is rare that I find a book with an ending as perfect as this one. He somehow manages to produce a satisfying, dramatic, well-earned ending (with a twist!) that perfectly balances between triumph and believability, conclusion and open-endedness. 

 

My only complaints about this book lie in minor details. There is a wholly gratuitous (non-consensual) sex scene that probably should not have made the final cut, mostly because it feels like a horny indulgence on the part of the author rather than a scene in service of the story. Additionally, the choice to have the only character of color actually be a white person in disguise gave me pause. These sorts of problems did not really detract from my enjoyment of the story, but I could see why someone else might take issue with them. 

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like Tigana if:

·      You like epic fantasy books

·      You appreciate a well-told story with complex characters, strong worldbuilding, and a masterfully crafted plot

 

You might not like Tigana if:

·      You don’t like reading books with multiple point-of-views 

·      You struggle to keep track of multiple characters and storylines

·       You prefer morally “clean” protagonists

·      You’re not in the mood for a dark story

 

A Similar Book: 

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. Similarities between these books include:

·      Fantasy setting

·      Political scheming and intrigue

·      Morally gray characters

·      Multiple point-of-views

·      Dark and twisted elements

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, Incest, Blood, Bullying, Death, Grief, Rape, Child death, Colonisation, War, Genocide, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Torture, Alcohol, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Animal death, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Classism, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, and Infidelity

kalmia31's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death, Alcohol, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, War, and Death of parent

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Murder, Child death, and Grief

Minor: Cancer, Body horror, Homophobia, and Suicide attempt