Reviews tagging 'Death'

Terrier by Tamora Pierce

10 reviews

lilac_belle's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery, Violence, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Child death, and Death

Minor: Sexual assault, Alcohol, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

ssione5's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Vomit, Violence, Slavery, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Child death, Trafficking, Suicide, Torture, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, Blood, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

twirlingshamrock's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

calamitywindpetal's review

adventurous slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Slavery, Death of parent, Blood, Death, and Child death

booksthatburn's review

adventurous 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

4.0

TERRIER is about an ancestress of George Cooper, a character important to other series set in Tortall. It serves as a prequel of sorts, and is best read after the Song of the Lioness quartet for readers who intend to read all of the Tortall books. However, after the prologue which establishes the connection to George Cooper, the rest of the story does not require any additional knowledge from the other books in order to be appreciated. 

The story is told in a journal format, with a few entries to establish Beka's backstory and place in the Tortall books, then it switches completely to Beka's journal that she keeps as part of her Dog training. 

Beka is from the slums of the Lower City, and she lives near the Kennel she's assigned to as a Dog. She has some friends among the Puppies, she gets to know her training Dogs (Tunstall and Goodwin), and she ends up making a few friends with rushers new to the court of the Rogue. She has a cat with purple eyes, and a magical ability that lets her get information that other Dogs cannot. She ends up on the trail of two sets of murders: someone hiring workers and then killing them to keep their efforts secret, and someone who’s been extorting poor people by kidnapping their kids. Beka trains, goes on patrol with her Dogs, and tries to make things right in a city with too few good Dogs to handle ordinary crime, let alone spree and serial killers. 

Beka makes friends, straight and crooked, and tries to keep from crossing any lines that can’t be uncrossed. The camaraderie in the morning group which develops is a bright spot in her world of patrols, fights, and death. She has strong friendships with individuals and as a group. The journal format of the book lends itself well to conveying their growing friendships, which are a strong point of the novel. 

TERRIER closes with Beka still a Puppy but wiser than when she began, and ready for her next challenge. The story closes off so neatly that it feels like it could have been a stand-alone, but instead it’s the first in a trilogy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Violence, Suicide, Murder, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Child abuse

Minor: Confinement, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Rape, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Ableism, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

inferiorwit's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Murder, Blood, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Death, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Excrement, Trafficking, Suicide, Vomit, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Violence, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child death and Child abuse

wardenred's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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

4.0

Like all Tamora Pierce's books I've read before, this one was very much a coming-of-age story. However, it also felt pretty difference, both thanks to Beka's narration which seemed a bit different from the usual writing style I expect from the author, and because there's such a big focus on the mystery plot. Which, by the way, was really well-handled—it was fun to follow this investigation, and there were a few quite nail-biting moments. 

Otherwise, I liked the cast of characters and the development they all got, and the found family vibes. Beka's cat companion stole the show more than once. The setting was described vividly, in rich detail, and made me feel like I've really walked the streets of the Lower City. 

The only reason this isn't a five-star read for me is that I never quite clicked with the main character. I liked following what happend to her, but I didn't feel connected to her / didn't enjoy being in her head, I guess? And since the book is written in the form of Beka's journal entries, that often created a bit of dissociation from the story for me. Definitely a me problem and not the book's, or maybe not so much a problem at all as a personal preference—we can't click perfectly with every main character we meet! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death

Moderate: Death of parent

inka_z's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Grief, Physical abuse, and Violence

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual harassment, Torture, and Vomit

Minor: Abortion and Death of parent

obviousthings's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

I liked reading about Beka finding her place in her new job, and the writing was good, but I was put off by the way the Dogs are glorified even though they’re corrupt and aggressive. There’s not much nuance in how the criminals are portrayed, either—they’re mostly there to be beaten up or chased after. The way it’s written implies that everything the Dogs do is justified as a way to catch criminals, and I’m not convinced. It seems like bigotry would run rampant in this system, but that’s never really addressed.

The story also lost steam a bit in the middle, and I found that section boring. The plot would have been better with more twists and turns in it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, and Police brutality

Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Death, Suicide, and Slavery

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Alcoholism, and Excrement