Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto

42 reviews

briannewik's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

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I loved this book. This book is dark, but I devoured every page. People say it’s Dramione fanfiction, but I didn’t really get any of that. It feels like its own story to me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Torture, Trafficking

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, War, Classism

gingermonster37's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, War

Moderate: Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

jutz16's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol

asphodelsparks's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Abortion

bgsmith's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This was one of the best fantasy books I’ve read in a while. Soto created a beautiful world with corrupt politics, a complex magic system, and a brilliant plot. The flashbacks mixed with the development of the story creates intrigue while also setting the stage. I truly loved this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, War

teashopquests's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I enjoyed this book, but I felt like it was too much of a slow burn for me. I was expecting there to be more of a romance element and was a  disappointed when hardly anything happened. This is going to be a series , but I was expecting there to be more character development. That being said, the world building was great and the tension between the main love interests was really good as well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, War

Minor: Abortion

caitlinastrid's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional 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: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent

Minor: Bullying, Vomit, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol

l1brarygirl's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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🖤 Dramoine coded - I love a protective and morally gray MMC

Loved the magic system & the setting. I think the author used flashbacks very effectively to keep the story moving while not trying to info dump. 

Darker romance - please check TW

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Minor: Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent

redwoodfey's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Grief, Death of parent

Minor: Abortion

heretherebebookdragons's review

5.0

challenging dark emotional tense

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

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Book Review: This is extremely dark (check your trigger warnings for real), but marvelously crafted. Normally I find a dual timeline story rather annoying, but this was expertly rolled out to keep building layers and adding tension to the narrative, rather than slowing the momentum. I never knew what turn was coming next (not at all normal for me, I always predict the Big Reveals), but it all felt earned and part of a well-realized world and narrative rather than like something that was lobbed in for shock value or in the name of having a Plot Twist. The ending was such that I’m not in agony, but we’re clearly set up for one hell of a sequel. 

As for the much-ballyhooed fanfic element, I found it to be barely there at all. The world is different, the magic system is different, the families are different, the bad guys are different, the school is different, the main characters’ personalities and mannerisms are different. The MCs were adversarial to each other in school and he has light hair and a rich family, and that’s literally pretty much it. This is a fully realized world all on its own and of Julie Soto’s own making. 

Rating: 5/5
Spice: 2/5 (this is a hard one to rate)

Tropes:
- Enemies to lovers
- Captive FMC
- VERY dark world
- Magical academy
- Dual timeline
- Touch her and die
- Banter
- Mysteries and shifting alliances
- Forced proximity 
- Rebellion
- Dragons
- Animal familiars
- Female rage

Audio Review: The narrator, Ella Lynch, was fantastic. Her Man Voice didn’t feel strained, and I really appreciated that she used an ever-so-slightly different voice to indicate when Briony was speaking verses when we were simply along for her POV. (Hilariously, and I suspect this was deliberate, said speaking voice had just a hint of an Oxford accent. iykyk) She did a very good job of portraying various scene directions (when someone’s voice is scratchy or flirty or Briony feels ill or what have you), and of keeping with the heightened emotions of the story without ever getting unnecessarily overwrought. My lowkey favorite moment was when she muffled her voice to portray Toven speaking with a book over his face - a little moment of levity in the midst of a very dark story. I will actively keep an eye out for additional books narrated by her. 

Rating: 5/5

This is a review of the audiobook.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism