Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Faithless: Magic of the Lost, Book 2 by C.L. Clark

13 reviews

lady_valhella's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Grief, Death, Gaslighting, and Torture

becca303's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Medical trauma, Confinement, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Grief, Gore, Emotional abuse, Torture, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, War, Xenophobia, and Violence

cameronreads's review against another edition

4.0

I’m really liking this series so far. I understand why some people may not like it; I feel like people might find this book in particular quite boring, as it’s mostly political, but I really enjoyed it. I really love exploring these complex characters and the moral questions that come into play, especially when it comes to a retribution arc. I think the relationship between our two main characters is so intriguing, and I love how slow it burns. I like the discussions it brings up about colonialism and racism, and I think the representation in all areas, especially the Black, sapphic and disability rep, is great. I would have liked it if Pruett and Fili’s points of view were developed a bit more, as I often forget they existed and was surprised when they came up again, and therefore wasn’t very invested in them as characters or their little sections of plot. This did feel a little like a filler book, with a degree of second book syndrome, but I still really enjoyed it and can’t wait for the final instalment I’m the trilogy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Murder, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Alcohol, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Blood, Colonisation, and Gore

Moderate: Gun violence, Vomit, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, and Ableism

Minor: Death of parent, Racial slurs, and War

risaleel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Violence, Murder, War, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Grief, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Torture, Infidelity, and Sexual content

Minor: Death of parent and Child death

theirgracegrace's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.5

This second instalment of the Magic of the Lost has magic, romance, and intrigue galore. Luca is desperately trying to get one step ahead of her xenophobic uncle Nicolas, who threatens to dismantle all of her work with the Qazāli and take the throne from her. Touraine is now an ambassador to the Balladairan court and has to once again navigate a world where the colour of her skin makes her a target. And Pruett desperately tries to form solidarity between her ragtag soldiers and somehow overcome the Balladairan forces in Masridān across the river from Qazāl. An incredibly powerful and heart-wrenching sequel that deals with themes like colonization and identity with flair. Beyond excited for the third instalment!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical trauma, War, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Torture, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Cursing, Racism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Islamophobia, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Vomit, Addiction, and Excrement

Minor: Ableism and Cultural appropriation

professor_jango's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Classism, Confinement, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, Xenophobia, Racism, Violence, and Toxic relationship

eegekay's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Colonisation, War, Medical content, Gun violence, Ableism, Death, Physical abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, and Classism

Moderate: Cannibalism and Drug use

alexalily's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, and Death

Moderate: Child death, War, Cannibalism, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Confinement, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Alcohol, Kidnapping, Racism, Torture, Grief, Animal death, Slavery, and Cursing

deedireads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

The Faithless, sequel to The Unbroken, is a pretty good book two. I found the pacing a little uneven, but the ending was great and I’m looking forward to book three.

For you if: You read and liked The Unbroken (lesbians + magic + dismantling colonialism).

FULL REVIEW:

Thank you, Orbit, for the review copy of The Faithless! This is the second book of C.L. Clark’s Magic of the Lost trilogy, the first of which (The Unbroken) I enjoyed a lot. I liked this one a lot, too.

To recap without spoilers, the Magic of the Lost trilogy is about two countries, Qazāl (colony) and Balladaire (colonizer), which are inspired by a historical Morocco and France. Tourraine begins The Unbroken as a Qazāl conscript in the Balladairan army. Luca is the princess of Balladaire, waiting until she’s old enough to be crowned while her uncle rules as regent. Also, the Qazāli have a magic rooted in their faith, while Balladaire has outlawed all religion (and magic). The Unbroken takes place in Qazāl and focuses on the Qazālis’ rebellion, and The Faithless picks up a few months later and mostly takes place in Balladaire. (Also yes, these books are very sapphic.)

My main criticism — although it’s not a loud one — is that I found the pacing uneven. All the action happens in the second half, especially the last 20% or so. (That’s pretty common for a second book; the author has resolved the first big plot arc and turns their attention to deeper character development.) But while I was impatient for more action, I can also say that I was never bored. I loved getting to know our main characters better and some characters (Sabine! Pruett!) for the first time.

But overall, I remain deeply impressed by Clark’s nuanced depiction of colonialism and how hard it is to disentangle it — to overthrow from a rebellion’s perspective, to dismantle from the inside, and to undo its effects on how people see themselves and each other. I can’t wait to see where the story goes in the trilogy’s final book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Child abuse, Death, Violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Death of parent

rjtheodore's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, War, Vomit, Alcohol, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Sexual content, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping