Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

137 reviews

crybabybea's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.5

A good YA dystopian-ish scifi-ish fantasy-ish romance-ish read! I appreciated the unique setting based on West Asia and the inclusion of Arabic mythology. At first, I wasn't super into the story because it felt very typically YA to me, especially the info-dumpiness of the beginning, and I was expecting more immediate fantasy. The fantasy elements are subtle and the overall story leans more toward sci-fi/dystopia. Because of this the world-building doesn't feel as complex as I would like, and a lot of the settings don't feel fully fleshed out.

I had my doubts about the characters but I ended up liking the main characters for their individual arcs, especially Laia. I wish the side characters got more attention and felt more fully developed.

I was pleasantly surprised at the complexity of the themes explored and the story beats. I wasn't expecting anything crazy from YA but this book was very dark and the author made some crazy choices that really flipped the typical YA experience on its head. Of course it had its tropey moments but I enjoyed the story a lot and found it compelling. 

Definitely a page-turner, an intriguing thriller of a story with unique, subtle fantasy elements to get lost in for a few days.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Murder, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, Confinement, Slavery, Child abuse, Misogyny, Child death, Sexism, and Kidnapping

my_personal_escape's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Death, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Slavery, and Blood

Moderate: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, and Grief

abby_can_read's review

adventurous dark 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

4.0

I enjoyed this book. I liked the worldbuilding. The characters were good and I liked their relationships. I struggled with the writing style of alternating first person POV in the present tense. The plot was good though a little predictable. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Slavery, and Death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Sexual violence

Minor: Death of parent, Murder, and Confinement

alexijai98's review against another edition

challenging 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? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Confinement, Abandonment, Blood, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture

amre23'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book was dark and violent but believe the start to a great story. This starts about a girl thrown into conflict larger than simply finding and saving her brother and a boy who is trying to escape the expectations and confines of his life. She is adamant to find her brother but constantly is navigating who her true allies are and how to complete the requests from everyone around her. He is constantly navigating between the "mask" he wears for everyone and who he wants/wishes to be.

The Dual POVs made the story progress faster. Was nice to see when the 2 main characters weren't interacting how their actions and inactions impacted each other.

At times could truly feel her worry and anxiety through the pages. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Slavery, Physical abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexism, Genocide, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Blood, and Classism

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Grief, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, and War

Minor: Medical content, Self harm, Abortion, Alcohol, and Pregnancy

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

---

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

mckenziemreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Sexual violence

evetheplanner's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

Sabaa Tahir managed to write a book that made me cry - which I have never done before. 

This beautifully written world is easy to immerse yourself in. To say I was enthralled by this story is an understatement. I traveled to a place with deeply conflicted characters, a little bit of magic, villains that made me weep, love that I was rooting for, and twists and turns galore. 

I’m not normally one to read YA, but I am happy I did. I wouldn’t classify this in that category anyway, the emotional story telling was elevated and gorgeous. 

I love to be surprised by a characters motives. Even if I had a feeling of where this story would take me, I was surprised at how the characters got there. 

If you’re on the fence about reading this book, I implore you to take the leap. You won’t be disappointed! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Death, and Murder

kitten638897's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual harassment, Death, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

No on page sexual assault, but on an page attempted sexual assault. Frequent treats of sexual assault. Brutal violence and torture. Character deaths.

hiashleynine's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful reflective 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery, Death, Sexism, and Violence

Minor: Sexual violence and Rape