Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

44 reviews

silversparkles50's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Blood, Child death, and Toxic relationship

cecilielaugesen's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? No

5.0

This is one of those books you can read at any age, and you will most likely get something different from it each time.
Both the story line, the characters and the world are so complex and well build.
While it is entertaining it is also quite dark - all in all I loved it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, and Grief

Moderate: Kidnapping, Abandonment, Child abuse, Murder, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Alcohol and Confinement

xabbeylongx's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

Spoilers Ahead: 

I had to read this book for university, and I didn’t realise how meaty the book is! The audiobook is like 12 hours long, and it’s a big read, but definitely one I enjoyed. A little shocked it’s classed as a children’s book, even towards older children, because some of the stuff in it was difficult for even me to comprehend, but I did really enjoy it. 

We follow Lyra as she’s spying on an important meeting. They’re investigating ‘dust’, which is something that people are scared of in the North. When Children start to go missing, there are lots of rumours about what it could be, but they all decide on one name: the Gobblers. 

When the Gobblers take Roger, one of the kitchen staff and Lyra’s friend, she decides she wants to go and find him. The mayor puts her in the care of a woman, whom she quickly becomes attached to, on their trip to the North, but she finds out that the woman is actually part of the Gobblers, and so she has to escape. 

The whole of their journey around the North is to find the Gobblers and to bring the children back to their parents. She joins a group of Gyptians on their quest. She finds out that the woman who is in charge of the Gobblers and who was looking after her is actually her mother, and her uncle is actually her real father. He has plans to use the dust to gain power. 

I feel a little indifferent about this book, to be honest. It was good, but it went on too long. There were a lot of names to remember, and they’re all quite difficult or a mouthful to say, so I often found myself getting confused. The plot was good, and I was really intrigued by the idea of dust, but I don’t feel that the ending answered all the questions I needed answering. My concentration sort of dwindled towards the end. The plot is so good, but I think it could have definitely been broken down into more books (I know it’s already part of a series), or just have had some of the parts taken out, especially towards the end. All of the characters were a bit insufferable, I can’t lie, I didn’t bond with them as much as I normally like to in a book, and I think that’s where the problem started. I was a massive fan of Iorek Byrnison, he was a great, loyal character and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about him. Other than that, this book was okay, not my favourite, though I understand I’m not the desired audience for it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

jolineliest's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Deportation, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Grief, Confinement, Emotional abuse, War, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Alcohol, Slavery, Trafficking, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Death of parent, Body horror, Gun violence, Gore, Abandonment, Blood, and Forced institutionalization

rhiannon814r's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Kidnapping, and Child death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Classism, Medical content, Misogyny, and Forced institutionalization

sdurhamohr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Child death, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

rafacolog's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, Child death, Death, Animal death, Kidnapping, and Animal cruelty

a_kingdoms_secret'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Violence, Death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Blood and Fire/Fire injury

teri_b's review against another edition

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

This is a book I never get tired of reading as it holds such a unique world and a main character that is not really likeable and yet you start to like Lyra at some point of the story anyway.

And I would fully agree that this is a book that everybody should read at least once in their life time, it is that good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Child abuse, and Death

Moderate: Animal death and Child death

librarymouse's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

I adored this book the first time I read it in 2021, scrambling my way through the entire series at breakneck speed. The detail and the world building of this universe is such an immersive experience, it continues to be engaging as I re-read it for school. Reading this in 2023, in association with Paradise Lost and The Chronicles of Narinia, there is so much more depth to the storytelling, beyond the calling out of church-sanctioned abuses and the cognitive dissonances around the concept of heresy. The novel's lack of a centralized paragon of evil complicates the messages of Paradise Lost in unique and interesting ways. Mrs. Coulter and Lord Azriel act as physical manifestations of Milton's Satan's pride, ambition, and cunning, but Lyra's lying, and the willingness of herself and her companions to do what is necessary in their quest creates a gray area between good and evil as paradigms.
I love the characters of the witches, especially in how they (to an extent) are similar to Milton's angels.

It's very easy to get immersed in this world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Animal death, Gun violence, Grief, Trafficking, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Blood, Child death, Death, and Violence

Moderate: War, Confinement, and Vomit

Minor: Toxic relationship