Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

30 reviews

jordyn_alexx's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective 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

Reread August 2023:
This was longer than I remembered, but that was welcome. It was certainly familiar, but there were also less finer details that I remembered than I would’ve thought. I’m happy I reread it. 
I’d forgotten how endearing Death was and how nice it was to witness the start of Bitterblue and Giddon’s friendship. I found myself not quite frustrated, but wishing Bitterblue did certain things differently. 

Edit: Reread April 2021
With this reread I think I was seeing things from new perspective. It's hard to understand how things have progressed within the timeframe, but at the same time, I imagine it's realistic. After reading Winterkeep, it's nice to be reminded of how things developed in this book. 
~
This was not my favorite of the Graceling books, but I still loved it. I connected really well with the characters and I was left wishing she'd write more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Torture, Death of parent, Trafficking, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence

Minor: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Violence, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Animal death, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Physical abuse

ksykes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5

I love this book; a very close second to Fire in my eyes. Kristin Cashore has never done me wrong. 💗

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Rape, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Grief, and Suicide

Moderate: Pedophilia, Alcoholism, and Murder

Minor: Blood

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

delvainy's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I remembered that this was my least favorite of the series, but I couldn’t remember why until I reread it. It’s not a bad book, and I think dealing with the emotional ramifications of a world with such an evil suddenly purged makes sense. I just didn’t really like the main characters in this one (Bitterblue grown up, Saf, and Giddon are all just meh to me and sometimes even frustrating). Characters are the most important part of a story to me, and as much as I liked the glimpses of Katsa, Po, and Fire (I wonder Cashore intended to make Bitterblue seem at least half in love with Katsa?), it wasn’t enough to fully get me through the scenes of characters I didn’t like. However, I see that it is a necessary part of the story in this world and liked the insight given. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Rape, Torture, and Gaslighting

readingrat's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Self harm, Suicide, Death, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Blood, Sexual violence, Rape, and Violence

Minor: Trafficking, Addiction, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Alcoholism

lwooters's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Grief, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Medical trauma, Child abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, and Rape

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Pedophilia, Animal death, Rape, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Incest, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Self harm, Vomit, Xenophobia, Homophobia, and War

Human and animal experimentation. Strangulation/suffocation. Mind control, overriding/alteration of will (mostly discussed/aftermath). Abuse and sexual violence, including of children, are described frankly, but not extremely actively or graphically depicted on-page.

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

bencaroline's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Murder, Violence, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, War, Self harm, Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol and Vomit

g_c_geeks's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

Ok so maybe there’s some issues with pacing but it did not bother me. I loved reading about all the political and social structures within the world, and loved spending time with these characters. 
It was a really good continuation of Graceling and Fire and built upon what happened years later. I really enjoyed it. 
I think about this world all the time and will have a place in my heart forever. 
Keep in mind though that you find out some very dark and disturbing confirmation of what Leck has done. 
I’m going to read Winterkeep (the fourth book in the series) for the first time and am very curious on what Cashore will continue to develop. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Torture, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child death, Medical trauma, Suicide, Self harm, Child abuse, Sexual assault, War, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Death, and Adult/minor relationship