Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

7 reviews

jessversteeg's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

It’s very much like the previous book in its pace and story. It begins with Vasya’s sister, which might make it feel less interesting, but Vasya comes back into the story. Given the way it ends, I will certainly pick up the third!

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magicsarah's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition

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adventurous

5.0

Wow, 5 stars for sure. I adored the way this built on book one and all the revisited characters! Vasya and Morozko have my heart. I love the vibes, the magic, SOLOVEY, girl-in-disguise, just everything.

CW: same "it's set in the 14th century, so" as book one

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grimviolins's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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szuum's review against another edition

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

4.25

Would've enjoyed the book even more if it hadn't been for
the hot and cold attitude of Morozko, the comments about Vasya's appearance and how she's supposedly unattractive, and the awful romantic plotline with an immortal creep and a teenage girl.

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amandasharabooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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


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the_chaotic_witch's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

 346 pages; 2017, 4/5 stars; 8.29 CAWPILE; spoiler-free

I did not review the first book in this series for personal reasons, and when I reread it - which I indeed will at some point - I will review it properly, suffice it to say that I absolutely loved it!
For the sequel, I headed in shortly after finishing the first book, already loving the writing style, the world-building, the plot development. I will not summarize here, as this is a sequel, but I highly recommend it, anyway.

An issue that for Me continued from the first book and will draw into the last (and that is not actually an issue with the book or the plot) is that I am a character-driven reader. And this is a plot-driven book. Of course, the characters here are still developed, deep and multi-dimensional, and I dearly love them, but they are not the story's focus.

As for the story and the plot itself, I highly enjoyed it. I had no idea what to expect from this book since the first felt so very complete for Me. And I still have that sentiment. I still think the second needn't have been there, but I am glad it is.

I am not only deeply in love with the characters and their multitudes in opinion, motivation, background, and character traits, but in their relationship to one another and their environment.
While it is sometimes painful to read this due to the historical accuracy of how people (probably) thought and acted back, then I would consider this a comfort read still.

Here I would like to state clear trigger warnings:
- sexual assault
- violence
- blood
- transphobia? (if it can be counted as that)
- misogyny!!
- sexism!!
- talk of rape
- emotional abuse
- child trafficking
- fire
- mentions of vomit

The strategic elements never cease to amaze Me, the thoughtfulness and coherence of the plot as well. While this is set in an entirely different culture and time-period from my own, I still felt like I understood the people and their customs, fell in love with their magical world, and cared deeply about how the story would end. I can't say anything about the accuracy of their displays, but I can say that the text drew Me in and, I am sure, kept a piece of Me when I finished reading.

A fairy-tale of the cold, Russian winter, full of magic, political intrigue, and strong relationships. What more could you ask for?

This is Me signing off. Be kind, especially to yourselves. Bye ♥

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