Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

30 reviews

mikasana's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.5

Slow in the beginning but it picks up a bit and then goes full speed towards the end.

Honestly, the storytelling was perfect. I got really attached to Laia and Elias and their character arcs. And the villains?? Black hearted killers who couldn’t have been written any better (

shout out to mummy dearest

). 

The weight and finality of all the injustices this world festered really just slapped you in the face over and over as the pages went by. The tension from it burned me and had me fully entranced just hoping some good would prevail.

However, if you are looking at this first book expecting romance, look away. The two main characters don’t truly get to know each other in this book and spend much of their time apart. In fact most of the “romance” that exists is spent on

the giant love square (yes, not triangle) between the two main characters and their wooed side pieces. I find love triangles, or any semblance of them, completely unnecessary and distracting. It dampens the potential of the main relationship every single time.

Irritating.

This actually would have been a lower rating due to how irritated I was by the

love square

but that ending? A chef’s kiss. Perfection.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Classism, Confinement, Slavery, Sexual violence, Murder, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Trafficking, Pregnancy, War, and Rape

risten's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Torture, Slavery, Classism, Child abuse, Blood, Murder, Death, War, and Child death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Grief, Gore, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Trafficking, and Suicide

Minor: Stalking, Sexual content, Vomit, Self harm, Abortion, Alcohol, and Animal death

lswan's review

adventurous dark fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Slavery, Murder, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, and Torture

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Abortion

pumpkincore's review against another edition

I liked a couple of the side characters, but couldn't get into the main perspectives enough to wait for their appearances. The writing was fine, if a little lazy and predictable. The world building was lazier. Do it or don't.

There's an audience out there, and I've recommended it to several friends who I think would enjoy it more than me. I read the first half and then skimmed the second half for book club. Nothing caught my interest enough to make me slow down, so I'm not considering it "Read."

I am also desperately exhausted by the constant rape allusions, especially in a YA book. This book should have the characters aged up 3 years and thrown into adult fantasy. The plot doesn't fit the ages. I threw all of the CWs in graphic because they come up a lot and are intrinsic to the plot, regardless of how they're described.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, War, Racism, Police brutality, Torture, Slavery, Trafficking, and Suicide

chronicacademia's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Slavery, Torture, Classism, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death, Racism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Gore, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Hate crime

theintrovertsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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: Violence, Abandonment, Death, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Physical abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Torture, Murder, Sexual violence, Rape, Confinement, Toxic relationship, War, Police brutality, Colonisation, Abortion, Sexual assault, Gore, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Minor: Kidnapping, Trafficking, Pregnancy, and Cursing

bittennailbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.75

What the hell was in this book?! This has to be the most sickening romantacy I have ever read in my life [positive].

Thumbs up: I was surprised to read that it took folks awhile to get into the story because I felt this one knocked me to the ground and dragged me through every brutal chapter like a spider monkey.  This book is so bloody and ruthless that you forget it is a YA novel. The torture, SA threats, and enslavement is definitely enough to turn your stomach. That being said, the writing was very accessible which made it quick to burn my eyeball nerves speed reading because I was terrible engrossed in this story. A new favorite on my shelf for sure.

Thumbs down: I don't have much in terms of criticism for this one.  Just make sure you check out the content before diving in [a lot of threats of rape but nothing on page]

Was it a nail biter? When I literally have to cover the bottom half of the page so I stop reading ahead due to my stomach dropping anxiety for these characters? I'm surprised I have fingers left. 4.75/5.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Confinement

Moderate: Trafficking, Hate crime, and War

tea_leaves's review against another edition

dark funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Death, Violence, and Slavery

Moderate: Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Rape, Abandonment, and Torture

Minor: Pregnancy, War, Alcohol, Child death, and Abortion

takarakei's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.25

If you like books where no one is who they say they are and you don't know who you can trust... this is it! It's very dark, honestly I am surprised this is labeled as YA. Besides it following young adults and them all being horny teenagers, the subject matter that this deals with is very adult (see TW). I really enjoyed the dual POVs, world building, and the mysterious qualities. It is very attention grabbing and interesting right from the get-go, and it was a very unique concept. I can feel a much more intriguing plot line to come in the rest of the series...

You have a soul. It's damaged, but it's there. Don't let them take it from you...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Torture, Physical abuse, Death, Child death, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: War, Rape, Colonisation, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Genocide, Misogyny, and Grief

Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Death of parent

This is an extremely dark book hence the long list of TW Rape/SA - there is none graphic on page, but rape is referred to a lot (seems to be common occurrence in this world) and

a main character nearly is raped on page

shalladin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

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

1.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Torture, Trafficking, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Classism, Death, and Misogyny