Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Crier's War by Nina Varela

54 reviews

some_random_person_hi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.75

 This book:

-made me so emotional that I screamed out loud at one point and cried during the end of the Acknowledgements

-was a learning experience that I personally should not read something without spoilers

-was a pageturner

-has a very exciting ending 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Hate crime, and Racism

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Sexual content, and Xenophobia

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and War

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Grief, Classism, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, War, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, and Child abuse

Minor: Drug use, Suicide, Vomit, Torture, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Infertility, Self harm, Addiction, Sexual content, Excrement, and Suicidal thoughts

Discrimination and derogatory terms between in-universe factions. Self-injury for magical purposes.

sinaprst's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

The sapphics won big time on this one, this was all I ever wanted and more. 
I literally physically could not put this down (I read the last 300 pages in a day), because it is that good. 

The romance was just the perfect slow burn with all of my favorite tropes executed perfectly. Both Crier and Ayla felt so real to me and I fell in love with both of them. 

But the story aside the romance was just as great. I loved the way both Crier and Ayla had their own arc and their own secrets and motives that they kept from each other and how both arcs came together in the end.

Also, the writing style was beautiful and the world was believable and nicely crafted. 

recommended reading ambience: https://youtu.be/6nRFaOFcbpk?si=hOC2OB-O1xe-7xKH

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Slavery, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Sexual content, and Death of parent

nightshaderoots's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.75

I liked how complex the plot and characters are. The writing style was something to get used to but I liked the way the author described scenes and the characters. The world building was also something I haven't seen before which I loved learning about. The lore building was also paced well so it doesn't feel like info dumping but it was still enough where I wasn't in the dark. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Body horror, Cursing, Grief, Torture, Physical abuse, Vomit, War, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Minor: Infertility

librariangeorgia's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

4.0

I’d put off reading this book for SO LONG purely because it’s an absolute CHONK of a book. 

 

I loved it. I need the second book now. 

 

The writing style is quite simple, but I preferred that over the complex styles that you usually find in fantasy. The characters are well developed, even the background characters. Ayla is a bit chaotic but maybe that’s the intention? 

 

I know she’s meant to be the ‘villain’ but I loved Crier!! 

 

Lots of cliches: enemies to lovers, angry protagonist, evil villain, etc. But I’m loving them. I’m loving Ayla and Crier. 

 

Overall, a very enjoyable easy-to-read fantasy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Blood, and War

wet_towlette's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

4.5

I am invested I want to read the next one immediately but it’s 1:45am so I must sleep. But tomorrow morning I will be starting iron heart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Murder, and Slavery

teaskate's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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

4.5

The idea and the world was interesting and the layout of the book was nice.Also I love maps in books.I enjoyed the main relationship,and in general their characters.A point I also really liked about Crier’s war is the fact that I got really lost in the book at times,the time just flew by.Exited to read the sequel. :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and War

lqvekanej's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Slavery, and War

Minor: Self harm

stekka__'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

4.75

Great book! Mainly fantasy with a forbidden saphic romance. (Princess x servant) and loved the characters. Although this book was great I think it was very much a lot of world building for the second book (which I’m very excited to read!). The writing was great and never got slow.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Death of parent

Moderate: Death, Grief, and War

Minor: Gore and Toxic relationship

hanz's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Violence, Confinement, Excrement, Gore, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Infertility, and Drug use