Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

48 reviews

fanboyriot's review against another edition

dark slow-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

2.0

Honestly, I didn’t really like this book at all.  I just couldn’t seem to get into it with the characters falling flat and the stiff dialogue; the only reason I didn’t DNF is because it was an audiobook and I figured I made it half way already.

While I liked the idea of this book, fighting against a world were there was unnecessary hatred; there were just so many moments that made no sense with how the belief system worked.  Not to mention how did all the Northerns, Southerners, Easterners, and Westerners all agree all girls who bleed gold were demons but girls who bleed red were valued??  You’re telling me not one person out of all the different ideologies each group had that they didn’t noticed an issue with their system??

I don’t know if it’s because I don’t care for first person point of view or just how the book was written but I didn’t get attached to any of the characters either which is really disappointing.  However, the world building was easy to understand for a fantasy book.  It was simple and to the point.

My biggest questions though is how did no one bleed before they were sixteen?!  Women were not allowed to do “strenuous” work because they could NOT bleed before they turned sixteen years old?!

You’re telling me:

• No one lost their baby teeth until sixteen then?
• No one tripped and skinned their knee as a kid?
• No one had any medical issues until then?
• No one had bodily functions like periods until the minute of their sixteen birthday?
• That there weren’t any accidents in their everyday life that happened UNTIL they turned sixteen?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Blood, War, Sexism, Death, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Gore, Torture, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Self harm, Grief, Animal death, Cursing, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Genocide, Child death, and Vomit

yulecogs's review against another edition

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, War, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Slavery

escapismforlife's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Were do I even start with this one other than to say I'm immediately picking up The Merciless Ones. I'm so glad I owned both of in this series because this was a strong first book.

I 'm on a empowerment high.  With this book being the third in a row that has a powerful casts of strong females. 

Deka as a main character is beyond amazing, she is the type of character who is near perfection. Not to mention the rest of the near immortal young women who descended from Goddesses in this world. 

Otera the kingdom setting of this book  does not make these girls lives easy at all. They are labeled impure and murdered because of who they were born from. It says lot about the fear men have and the control they have to put on females from a young age, in particular with beliefs in this book. But alas the unity found in these warriors forced to fight in a place that despises them is pure excellence. 

 It almost broke me in more way throgout the time jumps and youth years of these girls lifes. In particular Becalis . 

The ends twist and conclusion made all of it worth it because a win in a ANY society that wants to silence the real powerful is always.

 Can't wait to read all the chaos that's bound to follow in The Merciless Ones.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Abandonment, Blood, Sexual assault, and Violence

kyannarichard's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

It took me a bit to really gravitate to the book. But it was so good from the beginning. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death of parent, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Abandonment, Classism, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Rape

analienfromouterspace's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.0

I picked up this book spontaneously and ended up loving it so much. The character development, plot twist and just the whole world, LOVED IT. A little slow at times, hence not 5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Torture, Violence, Abandonment, and Sexism

Moderate: Death of parent, Vomit, Death, Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, War, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Genocide, and Gaslighting

Minor: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Pedophilia

btothebooks's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Its a good young fantasy. I don’t know if I’d quantify it as young adult or late middle school/early high school. The premise is unique and interesting but it felt a bit young for me (Which Is not a negative, just a comment on my tastes as a mid-30s reader). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Misogyny, and Racism

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Trafficking

chellcake's review against another edition

adventurous challenging inspiring mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Body horror, Gore, Blood, Torture, Religious bigotry, Child death, War, Misogyny, and Violence

Moderate: Racism, Physical abuse, Grief, Vomit, Self harm, Bullying, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Cursing, Colonisation, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Grief, Pedophilia, Rape, Confinement, Drug use, and Trafficking

sarahlwalden's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Blood, Abandonment, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Religious bigotry and Kidnapping

Minor: Racism

bookcaptivated's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Blood, Torture, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, War, Abandonment, Confinement, Genocide, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Slavery and Vomit

Minor: Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Sexual assault

leabhar_love's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, and War