Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

23 reviews

eddiroll's review

adventurous 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Violence and Antisemitism

Minor: Rape

mar_gier's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

4.0

I really loved Spinning Silver, but it could be a bit of a slog to get through at times.

All of the characters were very wordy in both their thoughts and their descriptions of things. Also, dialogue exchanges seemed few and far between at times, and I do wish that there was a bit of them.

Nonetheless, I really did adore this book. The cast of characters were all relatively likeable to some degree, and they all felt extremely distinct from one another. Like, despite the fact that the chapters and scenes weren't labeled when there was a change in POV, you could always tell within the first sentence or three. (BTW, this book is all in 1st Person with like 6 distinct POVs.)

My favorite thing was seeing all the plot threads intertwining with one another, along with all of the characters' arcs. The character development and motivations are so deeply entrenched with the former that I think it's impossible to separate the two without having the story structure collapse.

But yeah, loved this book, but it was a bit slow-paced for my liking. You should read it.

(Also, all of the TWs I listed aren't super prevalent in the book except to one character really, but I wanted to be thorough just in case.)

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Murder, Violence, Gore, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

goizi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful tense 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? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and War

Minor: Death of parent

rockyroadbutch's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Death of parent, Violence, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Sexism, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty

adalieslittlelibrary's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Naomi Novik’s writing has a timeless quality that transports the reader into whatever world she has written about. Spinning Silver follows the intertwining stories of three girls living in a kingdom plagued by the cold influence of the Staryk king (think Winter Fae). It is a story of bargaining, of resolve, of protecting loved ones, and of the unforeseen consequences of actions. 

•

While so many stories focus on the battle between good and evil, in Spinning Silver, Novik instead chooses to center the tale on the struggle between justice and injustice. Very few characters can be described as purely good, just as very few characters can be described as purely evil. This focus made for an incredibly thought-provoking read.

•

The story flows from character to character, allowing for a level of depth that could not be achieved if telling the novel from a single point of view. Because of this strategy, it felt like a million stories packed into one incredibly intricate tale. Novik also manages to adjust the voice of her writing for each character’s perspective, again adding depth and allowing for greater character development. She is truly a master of her craft. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Physical abuse, Murder, and Death of parent

Minor: Child death

booknerdbetty's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Murder, Death, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, and Kidnapping

asha_m's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and Antisemitism

robin_reads's review

adventurous 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

A wonderful standalone fantasy book that reads like a wonderful fairy tale! As someone with Jewish roots the representation made me very very happy. Loved it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Murder

strange's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-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

2.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Antisemitism and Body horror

Minor: Violence and Gore

lunep's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Violence

Minor: Rape