Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

50 reviews

florecita_lectora's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Mental illness

lizzye33's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Violence, Blood, Death, Grief, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Body horror, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Kidnapping, Body horror, Cursing, War, Excrement, Abortion, and Confinement

ka_ke's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.5

By far one of the better y/a fantasy novels I’ve read this year. The politics are interesting, I enjoy the power play strategized by Jude and I’ve enjoyed the journey it took to get there. I cannot forgive Locke or Taryn however. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Racism, Body horror, Classism, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Bullying

Minor: Child abuse, Grief, Child death, Sexual content, and Slavery

micapellin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Murder, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Blood, Racial slurs, Suicide, War, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Torture, and Violence

sirkeili's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book started off in a way I've never seen books do before, in that the first chapter was a singular sentence. I was intrigued by how this story followed the old faerie tales style, dark and mysterious, but full of wit and charm. 

What broke my heart was Jude putting herself through hell, either in hopes to come out on top or to die in the process, because she felt she had no place in either world.  She doesn't care for her humanity, rather she hopes to rid herself of it one way or another. 

I do hope she gets what she is owed in the end; revenge against the man who slaughtered her family for the sake of his pride, and to put Locke in his place. I hope her plan to protect Oak works, and even if he doesn't become king, he realizes the sacrifices she made for him.

This book subtly made me fall back in love with faerie tales, the ones who's ending is ambiguous and who's story unravels slowly and yet all at once.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, War, Bullying, Classism, Violence, Death of parent, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, Gaslighting, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Confinement, Blood, Alcohol, and Torture

Minor: Abandonment, Body shaming, and Dysphoria

roosveld's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious 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

It's very unpredictable. The usual things that would happen in most romance books, just take a totally different turn here. I like it :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Bullying, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Body shaming, Gore, Kidnapping, Drug abuse, Grief, Blood, Gaslighting, Slavery, Suicide, and Alcohol

spazio_per_storie's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

1.75

Ho preso in mano questo libro in parte spinto dall'enorme apprezzamento che il mondo dell'internet sembra avere nei suoi confronti, in parte per via dell'hype che l'uscita in Italia dello spinoff Perché il re degli elfi odiava le storie (che, continuo a sostenere, ha un titolo super intrigante). Credo di aver imparato la lezione. Solo perché un libro piace a tutti, non deve per forza piacere anche a me. Anzi.

Dal momento che non voglio stroncare il libro in toto, fatemi spendere due righe sugli aspetti che mi sono piaciuti. Tanto per cominciare, kudos all'autrice per la rappresentazione del mondo fatato: l'ambientazione è veramente intrigante, e si sente la magia che permea l'intera Elfhame (tradotto, per qualche motivo, come "La terra degli elfi"). Avrei di gran lunga preferito se ci fossero meno descrizioni inutili, e soprattutto meno elenchi di creature magiche che dovrebbero creare atmosfera ma in realtà danno solo confusione. Certo, magari se fossi più studiato sull'argomento fate lo avrei anche apprezzato, ma in tutta onestà non so quali elementi siano folkloristici e quali siano stati inventati di sana pianta dall'autrice. In ogni caso, queste descrizioni non fanno altro che rallentare la narrazione senza aggiungere profondità alla storia, a mio parere.

Il personaggio di Jude è un altro punto di forza del libro. Ho molto apprezzato l'evoluzione della sua personalità e della sua opinione riguardo il vivere ad Elfhame, così come i suoi continui interrogativi del tipo "sono un'ospite, una figlia o una prigioniera?" Inoltre, abbiamo a che fare con una protagonista che sa cosa vuole, ed è disposta a tutto per raggiungere il suo obiettivo, nonostante abbia praticamente tutti contro di lei. Mi chiedo, tuttavia, quanto sia realistico che una bambina, che viene rapita dall'uomo che ha ucciso i suoi genitori davanti ai suoi occhi, alla fine non cerchi di andarsene, e arrivi ad "accettare" il suo posto a Elfhame. Non so, non sono convinto della cosa. Ma soprattutto, sono sicuro che avrei apprezzato molto di più il suo personaggio se solo la scrittura del libro fosse stata migliore. Infatti, si trovano molto spesso sezioni molto lente contrapposte a eventi di sviluppo della trama, che però sono liquidati in poche righe. Mi è capitato di dover rileggere alcune parti anche più volte, perché il mio cervello, nel "ripulire" la lettura da tutta la roba inutile, finiva con il cancellare anche alcuni elementi importanti per lo sviluppo del personaggi. 

(Poi, opinione personale: il libro avrebbe di gran lunga beneficiato da una narrazione in terza persona anziché in prima. Non capisco il motivo per cui si è scelto di narrare il prologo in terza persona al passato e il resto del libro in prima al presente. Ho preso il libro anche perché attratto dalla terza persona, e invece è durata troppo poco)

Veniamo all'altro motivo per cui non ho apprezzato questo libro. Il bullismo. Ci sono tante, TANTE scene in cui Jude subisce atti di bullismo, anche descritti in maniera grafica e talvolta in cui rischia la vita. Questa cosa non è divertente. Neanche un po'. Ma il peggio del peggio? La relazione tra Jude e Cardan! Il bullo e la sua vittima! Davvero è possibile shippare una coppia del genere? Va bene la trope degli enemies to lovers, ma qui non funziona. Almeno l'80% delle scene in cui compaiono Jude e Cardan insieme sono scene di bullismo. Tutto questo non può essere cancellato da una singola frasetta semiromantica verso fine libro. Oltretutto, questo rafforza (ahimè!) la narrativa secondo cui "Lui ti picchia perché ti ama", che onestamente trovo ESTREMAMENTE problematica. Per me, se ne sarebbe potuto fare a meno.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Death, Kidnapping, and Bullying

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

egurgens's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

Honestly, I’ve been looking for a book with a great villain arc, and I found one! Instead of seeing a hero fight against their worst impulses, Jude embraces them. Sure, Cardan is cruel, but so is her adoptive father, in a way, and so is the society she finds herself in. There are two possible paths Jude could have taken to survive with the Faerie, she just chose the opposite path of her sister, Taryn. 

There are so many political twists, so much betrayal, blood, gore, spies, magic, bullying, and violence, but it is so so so good. 100% recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Classism, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Domestic abuse, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, War, Child death, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, and Vomit

tarfish's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Sexual harassment

lish_e's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

“If you hurt me, I wouldn't cry. I would hurt you back.” 

I wanted to read a nice fantasy story that was on the lighter site. And this book was.
The world building was good and not explained in one giant info dump. I also hadn’t read a lot of books with fae characters, so this was something new and fun.
But I don’t like Cardan...at all. Maybe this will change in the next book, but I’m not sure.
Jude on the other hand was an interesting character and I like to read more about her and her development. 

“If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcohol, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Drug abuse