Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

26 reviews

christinereads1823's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Another excellent book from Bardugo; I couldn't put it down. 
However. There are a number of new plot threads that seemed unnecessary at times, and I am honestly not sure how they will be tied up in a probable-but-not-yet-confirmed Book 3... or if they even can be. There is also more gore;

the continual references and visuals of the mangled dead rabbit

were viscerally uncomfortable for me. 
I enjoyed the theoretical aspects; the themes of good, evil, and what you have to do to survive; and the found family and forging of relationships. Who wouldn't go to hell and back for their friends and loved ones? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Vomit, Death, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Gun violence, Drug use, Cursing, and Suicide attempt

ashlightgrayson's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This installment gave us a much more thorough exploration of the side characters in the story. I did miss Darlington being explicitly present throughout the story, but I feel like Bardugo made up for it with how interesting everyone else was. I appreciated that we got more one on one interactions between Dawes and Alex. Both of them are connected by how much they care for Darlington and their association with Lethe. However, as the story progresses, it is clear that both of them have more in common about their past than meets the eye. They also form a more solid trusting friendship as they go through the ups and downs of the plot. This sequel leaned in more to the horror aspects of the world. There are moments that delve into the dark history of Lethe and how magic has been used in the past for less than honorable goals. I found the plot points to be creative, but still neatly interwined. I'm looking forward to seeing how some of the seeds planted in this installment become relevant in the next part of the story. I think the first book is still my favorite between the two of them. However, I think this was still a solid sequel and I'm looking forward to see what comes next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, and Murder

Moderate: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Self harm, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Cursing, and Pedophilia

starweather's review

challenging dark tense medium-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

0.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Trafficking, Violence, Grief, Rape, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Antisemitism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Adult/minor relationship

locajohanna's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Body horror, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Addiction, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Racism

joflake's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Drug use, and Gore

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Racism

cjladygoodman's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Drug abuse, Alcohol, Child abuse, Bullying, and Addiction

laurenvoice's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.0

Hell Bent was a rollercoaster ride, and that ending has me wanting more!

Similar to Ninth House, the first half of Hell Bent started slow, whilst the second half was fast. At times it was frustrating how slow the start was

and the many failed attempts to retrieve our "gentleman demon", Darlington, from hell

, but that frustration was worth it in the end! 

Alex and Dawes teaming up with Turner and Tripp was something special; these two new additions to the Darlington rescue mission were perfect. After Ninth House, I didn't think much of Tripp; however, Hell Bent added depth to his character and his development was good to see. Also, Hell Bent saw much character development for Turner, Alex and Dawes.

Although Hell Bent had some marvellous character development and storylines, some didn't hit the right spot. Michelle's storyline seemed a tad too random; it needed more explanation. Plus, I am having some trust issues with Mercy; at first, I was glad she became in the loop, but I don't know why something just isn't sitting right with her character. Finally, the bad guy in this story was too predictable. 

Unfortunately, I had forgotten some of the events that had happened in Ninth House by the time I read Hell Bent, but thankfully, Leigh Bardugo put some reminders throughout the story; I had forgotten about some of the Blake, Dean. Sandow and Belbalm storylines. I hope we see the third instalment of the Alex Stern series sooner rather than later because that ending has me needing more!

The ending of Hell Bent was perfect, especially the final chapter. I didn't see that Tripp twist coming, but I am happy it came because it was better than the alternative. Also, it was sweet to see them salt guardians protecting the Rebel Lethe Gang (not sure what to call them). I am excited about the next book, and I hope we see Alex and Darlington finally getting together because the tension between them is too much! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Bullying, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Confinement, Death of parent, Classism, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Slavery, Torture, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Mental illness

marjshopes's review

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gore, and Blood

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racism, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Animal death, Violence, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Sexual assault, and Police brutality

Minor: Child abuse

rc_boxnut's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Gun violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

sauvageloup's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

while slow to get started, hugely enjoyed this, especially after half way

pros:
- the ingenuity and originality of the magical system is fab, I love the dark rituals and magic that the societies come up with.
- the plot is intricate and intriguing, with plot twists, but theres always hints that the reader can spot afterwards

like with Michelle wearing turtlenecks to show shes in league with the vampire, and Anselm suddenly changing personality because hes possessed. they were both clear but subtle and I didnt see it till after the reveal

- I do really like the characters, they're all so different and their own people, Alex, Darlington, Turner, Dawes and Mercy, but also all the side characters have their own motivations 
- the writing is very good, with some rly vivid imagery and turns of phrase that I wish I'd marked
- I love the extremely grey morality in how we have a lot of compassion for Alex, but she is a dark soldier of a character and so is Darlington. that's never minimalised and actually takes front stage in the book.
- the setting is basically a character itself and while I didnt really fall in love with it, I still appreciated the research and beauty of it all
- I also liked how it didnt shy away from linking magical exploitation to real life, like with the runaway slaves map, and how it was never brushed aside. it showed the dark side of the magical and wealthy.

cons:
- it's a dense book, with a lot of time switches near the start, which threw me. keeping track of characters can be tricky and I definitely needed the summary of the 1st bk to remember a lot of things. the complexity if the book all comes together near the end but it takes some getting your head round and was partly why it took me a longer time to read.
- I do kind of wish the series had started at a different point. leigh mentioned it might have been a much longer series and I kind of wish we'd seen the events with hellie and Alex's introduction to lethe by Darlington first hand, rather than in erratic flashbacks. it was hard to feel very invested in Darlington's return for a lot of it because we dont get to view himself ourselves, only through glimpses through Alex.
- sometimes things happened in the plot that felt a bit random, too much out of nowhere.

like when they got the tattoos of the salt animals that would repeatedly save their lives, it was just snuck in there as a little ritual they did like on a whim. why didnt they do some more protection earlier on? while some plot points came together nicely, sometimes it did feel kind of episodic and thrown from one plot point to the next, rather than a tightly woven web. but that also sort of fits the chaos of Alex's character so idk

 

but overall I did really like it, especially the badass last scene and I very much want to read the next one. (it was also amazing to meet and see leigh talk, would do that again also)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Sexism, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, and Drug use

Minor: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Slavery, Suicide, Sexual assault, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Self harm

focus on animal death and violence in one graphic scene. the self harm is to do with cutting an arm for a magical ritual the suicide attempt/thoughts are a brief mention by a side character but do come up a couple times