Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

42 reviews

elle_dee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, and War

sophiareadswaytoomuch's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective 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

I loved this book the first time I read it (almost 10 years ago, when it came out in 2012) and I have to say it holds up. On a reread, it’s still one of the best stories I’ve ever read. The set up is a little slow, but the payoff is worth it. The mystery is well handled and intriguing, all the characters are well developed, and the plot itself really grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go. Cashore does a great job of building on the world and characters established in the earlier books. Bitterblue is one of my all time favourite characters. This book also has LGBT+ rep and it handles a bunch of mental health issues (resulting from trauma) in a way that feels realistic, sensitive, and nuanced. It explores the effects of a kingdom under the grip of a tyrant for five decades, and the lingering effects of that trauma. A fascinating and unique read. Could potentially be read as a stand alone, but the pay off is much better after reading the first two books in the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Rape

ken_mcmurdie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, and Sexual content

Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, Domestic abuse, Grief, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Sexual violence

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

jade_fangurl93's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Violence, Suicide, and Sexual violence

amselot'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Violence, Suicide, Self harm, Mental illness, Grief, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

Minor: Rape, Homophobia, and Kidnapping

There is hardly a content warning that doesn't come with this book... Don't read this if you are in a bad place, and I'd also recommend people suffering from anxiety take care while reading this. It triggered several anxiety attacks for me while reading and I was high strung and rattled all the way through. The ending does however tie everything up in a way that is calming and satisfying.

daphnehumming's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read Bitterblue before Graceling & Fire, which puts me in a bit of a different mindset. It is one of my favorite books of all time. I love that it is a story about how we heal from collective trauma & balancing the conflict of those things. I love how Bitterblue comes into herself, and makes mistakes. While the romance is not my favorite, I admire the perspective the love interest brings into the narrative. That said, it could be very triggering for some.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Self harm, and Torture

Minor: Sexual violence

candelibri's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicide

radreadswithrachel's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I’m so glad that reread this now as an adult. I can understand and appreciate the story I never did as a child. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Child abuse, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence

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