Reviews tagging 'Death'

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

50 reviews

gillian_aftanas's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Misogyny, Violence, Confinement, Death, Murder, Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Sexual content

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Grief, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Incest, Kidnapping, Blood, Emotional abuse, Rape, Torture, and Vomit

Minor: Child death and Abortion

martin27's review

adventurous hopeful tense medium-paced

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

3.0

The beginning drags on for quite a while, and the middle struck me as just being bland. The ending was very good though. Really everything after the introduction of Princess Bitterblue is good and the rest is not bad but didn’t interest me that much. I expected a much more complex magic system than what the Graces actually are, which is a vague concept that for some people is the ability to read minds or see the future and for others is just being able to swim sort of fast. The world building as a whole is very weak. In fact it’s the weakest point of the novel, I think. The author’s voice is unique and has promise but the world that Graceling is set in just doesn’t have any depth. 

It was fine and isn’t the worst book ever, but I’m not super committed to picking up any of the sequels. I will stress again that Katsa and Bitterblue have a great relationship that was really interesting, and I love that

Katsa, a woman who is committed to remaining childfree and unmarried, is not convinced that she actually did want children all along. Katsa loves kids and was very protective of Bitterblue, but that doesn’t mean she wants to have kids. It was a pleasant surprise to not have her shoved into a motherly role even when she has to take care of a kid for a third of the novel. Bitterblue is like a sister to her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Vomit, Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Blood

Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Misogyny

ava_ba's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.25

This book was outstanding I simply don’t care what anyone has to say, Katsa and Po were everything and Bitterblue deserves the planet

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, and Sexism

Minor: Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Body horror, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Medical content, and Murder

alexandrabelze's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.25

i absolutely loved the pacing of this book. everything flowed perfectly together and i was never left feeling like things were moving too quickly or like we had hit a wall. cashore’s writing style is so unique, but i came to love it while reading. it fits katsa’s character so well! katsa and po’s relationship had me HOOKED mawma. i was also living for katsa and bitterblue’s (<3<3) relationship. so excited to read the rest of the series!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Confinement and Emotional abuse

Minor: Kidnapping, Torture, and Sexual content

talasterism's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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

4.0

read this for winnow who learned abt sexism and uuf boy the beginning was so hard tk getinto but i loveeed the worldhuilding of graced and SURPRSINGLY good heterosexual romance bc po is so emotionally open wth!! the plot ran very smoothly and i loved the end too. its too heavy on sexism and pedophilia for me tho

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Death

Minor: Sexual content and Emotional abuse

imds's review

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Torture, Vomit, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Death, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Stalking, Violence, Animal death, Blood, and Body horror

Minor: Child death

lubotomy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Murder, and Death of parent

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Torture

Minor: Alcohol, Vomit, Sexual assault, Suicide, Pedophilia, Sexual content, War, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Incest, and Grief

Animal attack. Near drowning.

emilylovesgoodbooks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Animal death, and Death

mallorypen's review

adventurous dark inspiring 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? It's complicated

3.75

I had read this book before, several years ago, and it took me a few chapters to remember I had read it before.

I like the concept of the Gracelings, and I really love the characters of Brittleblue and Po. Katana, on the other hand … I wanted her to have a flaw. Being too hard on horses because she wants to get to her urgent, noble missions faster doesn’t count. Nor does being a killer for the man who raised you and has literal royal rule over everyone you’ve ever known, especially when you start a secret crime fighting/humanitarian Council to act against the evil king.

That said, when Katsa forced herself to carry Brittleblue into the mountain pass, it was damn cool and inspiring.

The relationship between Katsa and Po was really well done. I could go on and on about how hot/striking it was that Po have Katsa his most important ring without telling her what it meant … that was really juicy. I really enjoyed how Po dealt with Katsa figuring out his Grace, and the way they figured out their relationship together. 

I think the author handled Po’s blindness in a sensitive way; the line where Katsa mourned the fact that he would never look at her in the way she had fallen in love with was poignant and felt very real, even as Po was accepting his blindness and the way his Grace enabled him to see in a new way. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Death, and Child abuse

Minor: Torture