Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

10 reviews

imds's review against another edition

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Body horror, Classism, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Self harm, Suicide, Trafficking, Violence, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Alcoholism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Confinement, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture

thoseoldcrows23's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

3.0

When I initially read the series as a teen this was my least favorite book, and upon reread that remains true. We'll start with the negatives so that we can end on a high note: 

My primary complaint back in the day was that I hated Saf as a character. Now I find myself feeling softer toward him, but I find Bitterblue much more frustrating than before. She's a very well written character who authentically feels like an 18 year old who has experienced great trauma but also grown up with great privilege; however, that combination makes her an incredibly irritating lead a lot of the time. She comes across as selfish very often (especially in her relationship to Po), and I found myself wanting to physically shake her multiple times over the course of the book. The other problem I have is regarding the length and pacing. Effectively, the story has a mystery plot engine with two different throughlines running parallel to each other (1: trying to figure out what happened in the past and 2: trying to solve the crimes currently taking place); however, the focus of the story is much more on Bitterblue’s growth as a character and that causes the mystery to fall by the wayside in favor of a more slice of life type story. That paired with the sheer length of the novel left me feeling a little burnt out by the end of it. 

            All that being said, I sincerely love Kristen Cashore writing and the world she has created. I have such affection for this cast that I find myself willing to forgive many things that would likely bother me more in a different book. Additionally, rereading this series now with the knowledge that there are more books made the experience of Bitterblue more bearable because there's so much potential here moving forward. By the end of the book Bitterblue has grown so much as a character, and I can see her being much more likeable in the future. There is also great potential here for a more satisfying romance for her (because, though I like Saf more now, I still don't think they're a good fit for each other. Bitterblue and Giddon on the other hand…). Overall, I did enjoy revisiting this story and I am now very excited to move forward and finally read the new books set in this world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Violence, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual violence

Minor: Homophobia and Sexual content

If you're this far into the series I feel like I can tell you this book deals a lot with Leck's crimes and you just kind of get the idea of how messed up it is

dahlia_maxwell's review against another edition

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Torture

Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Death

Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, and Murder

Bitterblue must unravel and deal with the abuse and manipulation of her now-deceased father. As she learns more and more of his horrible acts, it could be difficult to read for someone who is sensitive to topics of manipulation, abuse, senseless harming of others, incestuous pedophilia, or sexual assault

espressoreader's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Suicide, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, and Death of parent

aseel_reads's review against another edition

adventurous 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 liked the depth this book gave to the world but it was quite slow and way too long

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Torture, and Violence

bookbrig's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

Thanks to awesome Kristen, I got to read this ARC she brought home from ALA. Yay! It's incredibly well written, with a well woven mystery, and a cast of characters new and old. It felt more intense than Fire or Graceling, but that may be because it's been so long since I've read those. I feel okay sharing the following warning because from the first sentence of the book through the 8 page prologue it's evident that the book won't shy away from violence. So I'll just say that the violence described and alluded to throughout the book is intense and painful, even as it's so perfect for the world and story. Maybe don't start this on a day when you're feeling gloomy. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Violence, Self harm, and Confinement

cepbreed's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

Shocking. I read this book with my mind spinning and mouth agape. I was intimidated by the length but now can understand the necessity of those pages. I do not want to say too much for the sake of anyone who dislikes spoilers, but the hours it takes to finish this book are well worth it. Cashore seemed to me like a mediocre author upon my introduction to the series but with each book I am further proved wrong. The complexity of this narrative is astounding. I came to really love Bitterblue and my love for other previously established characters grew more. I have to be honest and say that I really hold no love for Saf.

In fact I was waiting on Bitterblue and Giddon to fall in love, yes the age difference is one thing but I thought the way they connected was much more meaningful. Alas, I need to be satisfied with their camaraderie and that singular forehead kiss.

Leck can rot in hell.

 Song:

• Writer In the Dark - Lorde 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Torture, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Gore, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Body horror, Child abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Minor: Confinement and War

nyssbomb's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Torture

kettijane55's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Death, Suicide, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit

angelareads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Self harm, and Suicide

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence