Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie

10 reviews

scifi_rat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Slavery, Trafficking, Genocide, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Police brutality, and Violence

Minor: Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Bullying, Blood, Rape, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

violerwolf's review against another edition

adventurous funny reflective 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

4.5

I absolutely love the world Leckie has crafted. While this book feels more like an interlude between the main conflicts, the characters, the prose, and the politics more than compensate for the less urgent tone of this book. So excited to read the third.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Colonisation, Slavery, and Infidelity

Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Rape

Minor: Medical content, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Death, and Gun violence

black_cat_iiix's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Racism, and Police brutality

Moderate: Classism, Gun violence, and Child abuse

Minor: Addiction

directorpurry's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Racism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Trafficking

Moderate: Sexual harassment

Minor: War

meliemelo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.5

An excellent follow-up to one of my favourite reads this year. I absolutely LOVED the not-subtle anti-colonialist message and the care the author took not to fall into certain traps. I thought I'd miss the flashbacks but the book works really well as it is, especially as we still get the "multiple self" sense from Breq, although differently this time. Objectively, the pacing may not have been optimal but it didn't bother me.

I cannot wait until my reserved copy of the third book arrives at the library, hopefully very soon! And I will definitely add this trilogy to my "must own" list!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, Colonisation, Gun violence, Murder, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Death

Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, Addiction, Slavery, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

pvbobrien's review against another edition

adventurous 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Violence, Blood, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Gun violence, Slavery, and Trafficking

Minor: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, War, Vomit, Addiction, Body horror, Classism, Death, and Drug abuse

mar's review

adventurous dark tense 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

5.0

fighting for my fucking life trying to hold back tears in the coffee shop @ the last couple of chapters rn

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism and Slavery

Moderate: Medical content, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Violence

Minor: Addiction, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship

ailsaod's review

challenging emotional reflective slow-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

5.0

 Read this because I was down about 'Winter's Orbit' being so good. It just made me down about having read two good books! The only problem I see with Leckie's books is that they are very quick to read!!

This book was admittedly very slightly less good than book 1 but it had an almost impossible act to follow! I see that a lot of people that weren't so keen on this book complain about the tea content of the story but I personally think it was very appropriate given the anti-imperialism themes. Leckie was having a great time dunking on the British Empire - as she should!

Another thing I enjoyed was Breq (an Ancillary pretending to be human) commanding humans, many of whom are trying to pretend to be Ancillaries. It is somewhat comical and I really liked Kalr Five in particular.

I'm really looking forward to book 3 (and also not because I don't want to finish this series!). 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Racism, and Police brutality

Minor: Sexual harassment and Toxic relationship

katie_the_librarian's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Trafficking, and Slavery

Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual assault

toopunkrockforshul's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I was worried this sequel wouldn't live up the the first book, which I loved so much. It definitely did and it was so lovely to be back with Breq. The narration style of this book is so well crafted and manages to create mystery and intrigue while also being engaging. One of those books that feels like seating down to a large meal, where you can just dig in and get lost in the world. Very excited for the next in the series. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Racism, and Police brutality

Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Violence, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

This book deals with a lot of difficult themes, and at its core is about the atrocities that empires and people with power commit against others