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Reviews tagging 'Animal death'
Stardust: Le mystère de l'étoile - Une histoire d'amour au royame de Faerie by Neil Gaiman
76 reviews
kiwij96's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-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
4.0
Having watched the movie Stardust, I came into this knowing the twists and turns that would unfold and regardless I loved it. However, I did spend the firat half of the book misreading Tristran's name as Tristan.
Great book, great short-storytelling: the worldbuilding didn't need to be extensive and the characters were well-developed in spite of their short descriptions. The chapters were a bit too long in places, but other than that it was a really nice light read albeit dark at times. Would highly recommend.
Great book, great short-storytelling: the worldbuilding didn't need to be extensive and the characters were well-developed in spite of their short descriptions. The chapters were a bit too long in places, but other than that it was a really nice light read albeit dark at times. Would highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gore, Animal death, and Slavery
akswhy's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
An odd little writing style for this one, but I’m sure it served as a fun thought experiment in its process. A lovely full-circle fairy tale for adults.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Murder, Animal death, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
chrisljm's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I love star motifs, and so I loved the concept of this book - a journey to retrieve a fallen star, which turns out to be a young girl. I enjoyed how whimsical and relaxing this book was, which is fitting for its tone of traditional fairytales/fantasy. I loved how each character was so intricately tied together and seeing it come to fruition throughout the story arc. However, I do wish we were able to see more of a development between Yvaine and Tristran, because the love between a human and a star is one of my favorite story ideas to date. Another story concept I loved was Yvaine, the fallen star. I loved her as a character as she was by far the most interesting to me, and I wish I had gotten to know her more. I would love to read more tales about her.
I also listened to the audiobook narrated by the author as a companion to reading it physically and Neil Gaiman is such a talented reader. He truly brings the story to life by giving it another layer of depth.
I can't wait to watch the movie after this, and then maybe after that the illustrated story.
I also listened to the audiobook narrated by the author as a companion to reading it physically and Neil Gaiman is such a talented reader. He truly brings the story to life by giving it another layer of depth.
I can't wait to watch the movie after this, and then maybe after that the illustrated story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
Minor: Grief and Racism
wwwdotmimi's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
soggycedar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
"I no longer have a name. I am a slave, and the name I had was taken from me. I will answer to 'hey, you!' or to 'girl!'or to 'foolish slattern!' or to many another imprecation.
Dunstan noticed how the silken fabric of her robe pressed itself against her body; he was aware of elegant curves, and of her violet eyes upon him, and he swallowed."
Very inappropriate reaction to learning that someone is enslaved.
"His hand felt her small breasts through the silk of her dress, touched the hard nubs of her nipples. She clung to him, hard, as if she were drowning, fumbling with his shirt, with his britches.
She was so small; he was scared he would hurt her and break her... had he known her name he would have called it aloud. ...He squeezed her small hand in his."
Focus is entirely on the fact that she is tiny and frail and a stranger to him.
That doesn't even include the entire premise of the book: a different man enslaving a different tiny woman, who then falls in love with him based on nothing more than his bad treatment of her, and her forced proximity to him.
Dunstan noticed how the silken fabric of her robe pressed itself against her body; he was aware of elegant curves, and of her violet eyes upon him, and he swallowed."
Very inappropriate reaction to learning that someone is enslaved.
"His hand felt her small breasts through the silk of her dress, touched the hard nubs of her nipples. She clung to him, hard, as if she were drowning, fumbling with his shirt, with his britches.
She was so small; he was scared he would hurt her and break her... had he known her name he would have called it aloud. ...He squeezed her small hand in his."
Focus is entirely on the fact that she is tiny and frail and a stranger to him.
That doesn't even include the entire premise of the book: a different man enslaving a different tiny woman, who then falls in love with him based on nothing more than his bad treatment of her, and her forced proximity to him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexism, Trafficking, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Animal death, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Pedophilia, and Confinement
Minor: Death, Abandonment, and Pregnancy
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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? No
3.5
Review:
Stardust is the second Neil Gaiman book I have read; I read Smoke and Mirrors a while ago, and I thought it was all right. I picked up Stardust after hearing it compared to The Phantom Tollbooth, which I love. After reading it, I feel the same way about Stardust as I do Smoke and Mirrors—it’s decent. Where many fantasy writers would turn the straightforward quest/fairytale narrative of Stardust and turn it into an epic high fantasy series with several books, complex character development, overly long side quests, and audacious worldbuilding, Gaiman sticks to the important facts and events. Stardust is only 250 pages long, which is a double-edged sword. Its short length combined with Gaiman’s limpid, witty, and occasionally profound prose makes it very readable and entertaining. There are several imaginative and fun moments. It reads somewhat like a children’s fairytale, and probably could be a middle-grade book if it didn’t contain some gratuitous (albeit not graphic) sex scenes and some descriptive violence. However, the characters lack depth, and the plot events occur because Gaiman wants them to, not because they make sense. In general, Stardust feels like it’s missing something important. Additionally, a lot of the narrative is pretty problematic if you stop to think about it, which you might not because the story demands very little thought.
The Run-Down:
You will probably like Stardust if . . .
· You want a quick, entertaining read to get you out of a slump
· You like traditional fairy tales
You might not like Stardust if . . .
· You want to read a story with any sort of depth
· You are sensitive to casual misogyny and racism in storytelling
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Trafficking, and Animal death
Minor: Pregnancy
fionamatilda's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death, and Animal death
Moderate: Slavery and Sexual content
romajstorovic's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, and Confinement
Minor: Slavery
tegancalnan's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Slavery
dellydoos's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
90s fantasy has to be the best decade for the genre, in my humble opinion. The books coming out of this time were just fun, outlandish and quirky. And Stardust is no exception.
This was a delightful escape and such an easy read (I read it in a day!). Gaiman's prose effortlessly carries you through the narrative, which unfolds with a delightful blend of humour and charm, characteristic of Gaiman's storytelling prowess. His ability to weave together a seamless fusion of fairy tale elements, myth, and folklore is what makes Stardust still stand up against the over saturation of the fantasy genre to this day.
Set in the charming village of Wall, our protagonist, Tristran Thorn, embarks on a quest to retrieve a fallen star from the mysterious land of Faerie to win the heart of his beloved Victoria. Along the way he meets a cast of colourful characters including Miss Fallen Star herself, Yvaine, whom he eventually falls in love with. Throw in some evil witches and scheming princes and it’s your favourite unconventional, conventional fairytale. It’s cute, it’s simple, it’s fun.
However, one aspect that left me slightly underwhelmed was the characterization. While the characters are charming and play their roles well in the story, I couldn't help but feel that they lacked depth and development. In essence, they weren’t memorable. Particularly, I struggled with Yvaine, who I felt was actually quite boring. She gave me nothing but a broken leg and bad attitude.
Additionally, the plot was very strange and lacked the complexity and cohesion I had hoped for. I’ve seen the movie many times, and look, I’ll admit that this is maybe one of the rare cases where the movie was better than the book. The movie provided a more streamlined and engaging narrative. The characters were more fleshed out and the spectacle of the world felt more impactful. Yes, the writing of the book was enjoyable, but the ending felt rather flat and anticlimactic.
All in all, this was a blast and I’d recommend it to all fantasy lovers out there. 3.5/5 stars.
This was a delightful escape and such an easy read (I read it in a day!). Gaiman's prose effortlessly carries you through the narrative, which unfolds with a delightful blend of humour and charm, characteristic of Gaiman's storytelling prowess. His ability to weave together a seamless fusion of fairy tale elements, myth, and folklore is what makes Stardust still stand up against the over saturation of the fantasy genre to this day.
Set in the charming village of Wall, our protagonist, Tristran Thorn, embarks on a quest to retrieve a fallen star from the mysterious land of Faerie to win the heart of his beloved Victoria. Along the way he meets a cast of colourful characters including Miss Fallen Star herself, Yvaine, whom he eventually falls in love with. Throw in some evil witches and scheming princes and it’s your favourite unconventional, conventional fairytale. It’s cute, it’s simple, it’s fun.
However, one aspect that left me slightly underwhelmed was the characterization. While the characters are charming and play their roles well in the story, I couldn't help but feel that they lacked depth and development. In essence, they weren’t memorable. Particularly, I struggled with Yvaine, who I felt was actually quite boring. She gave me nothing but a broken leg and bad attitude.
Additionally, the plot was very strange and lacked the complexity and cohesion I had hoped for. I’ve seen the movie many times, and look, I’ll admit that this is maybe one of the rare cases where the movie was better than the book. The movie provided a more streamlined and engaging narrative. The characters were more fleshed out and the spectacle of the world felt more impactful. Yes, the writing of the book was enjoyable, but the ending felt rather flat and anticlimactic.
All in all, this was a blast and I’d recommend it to all fantasy lovers out there. 3.5/5 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Animal death, and Animal cruelty