Reviews with content warning for Torture - Sovereign

Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Sovereign by C.J. Sansom

8 reviews

ran_sophia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? No

5.0

The story was excellent and I really liked the writing style. The pace of the writing was brisk and went pretty quickly. The development of the characters was excellently written.

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sas_lk's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.5

This series is one I know I can always pick up to get me out of a reading slump, and this book did just that.

In this world, the world greatly expands and our characters find themselves in the middle of highly political environments and situations. I enjoyed it, however, I feel this was the least enjoyable from all the books I've read so far. It was 600 pages of basically not much happening, and then all of a sudden we had a stressful and tense ending.
I will keep reading the series because I love it, but I do hope the pacing and plot in the next sequel are a bit better.
That said, I still love these books and characters, and I believe that the author is very talented and has taught me a lot about England in that era.

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robintchappell's review against another edition

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mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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simon326's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative mysterious 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

4.0

The third book in the Shardlake series continues where the second left off, with the tumultuous events of 1541 serving as not only the backdrop but the main driving force of the novel. Shardlake finds himself dragged once more into politics and this time the danger feels increasingly close and personal.

Several key scenes are well written and carry huge emotional impact and, as usual, the book is incredibly difficult to put down. However it's worth noting that unlike the slow-burning tension of the first book or the continous chase of the second, the third contains waves of high drama and calmer moments as it almost feels as though Shardlake is swept away by the events of the book.

We also see significant developments in the personalities and opinions of the main characters, with Shardlake himself showing a very relatable reaction to the events that he finds himself in.

Overall, another exciting addition to the series. I'm looking forward to the next and can't wait until I can read it (though I must wait). However, after the high-stakes drama, part of me would be happy to see a slower-paced story in line with the first book.

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