Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

9 reviews

sparksofkell's review

adventurous dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Trafficking, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Colonisation

Minor: Death of parent, Addiction, Abortion, and Alcoholism

This book handles really dark things and treats them as reality. The main character wants to change this reality and restore a semblance of justice but that doesn’t happen in this book (book 1 of 3).

thebookvincicode's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Blood, Child death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, War, Addiction, Classism, Child abuse, Body horror, Religious bigotry, and Self harm

Minor: Pedophilia

madamenovelist's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

Some aspects of the worldbuilding was absolutely wonderful and clever! Kelsea is a complex and compelling heroine. But all this was overshadowed by a positively glaring lack of anyone not of caucasian English (possibly a little Scottish or Irish?) descent. Despite everyone in the Tearling being refugees of Britain and America. It was incredibly uncomfortable to just pretend a couple stray POC who don’t even stay longer than a page exist in the Tearling, and only got worse when slave trafficking became a big part of the plot. In addition, every historic English caricature lobbed against the French was copy/pasted against the Mort in the laziest way imaginable. It felt like the author wanted to make a commentary on imperialism, without any introspection whatsoever on which countries have had the furthest imperialist reach or what that looks like. I wanted to like this book but too many things kept jarring me from the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Torture, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Gore, Religious bigotry, Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, Colonisation, Classism, Child death, Child abuse, Blood, Animal death, and Alcohol

katrinarose's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful fast-paced

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

3.0

The characters are a bit predictable and one-dimensional and not a whole lot seems to happen over the course of 400 pages, but I still enjoyed it. It definitely feels like a set up to the rest of the series and I think it has promise so I will continue on to book two. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Slavery, Trafficking, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, Drug use, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Medical content, Physical abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

amelia99's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Slavery, Physical abuse, and Trafficking

Minor: Slavery, War, Drug use, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Deportation, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Violence, Addiction, Racism, and Sexual violence

kalmia31's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Murder, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Blood, Deportation, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Religious bigotry, and Trafficking

Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Sexual assault, Incest, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, and Classism

booksandprosecco's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, and Death

annevivliohomme's review against another edition

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

I'm pretty sure this was written by a man. It's sexist, unnecessary violent, and mentions nipples at moments that don't need them to be mentioned. The way the main character instantly falls in love with a pretty guy makes her seem very shallow. Considering her 'bravery', it's very much tell don't show, because she doesn't make the impactful decisions herself. Her power solely lies in accidentally befriending the right man, putting on a pretty necklace, and having a unknown but powerful father. Her parentage is one of the biggest mysteries in the book, because her intellect has to come from her father right? It couldn't be because of the woman who raised her, or because of her own insightfullness. Why does her one good quality have to originate from yet another man? Furthermore, additional male characters are introduced who play a crucial part to the plot, but they are too single-minded and underdeveloped to deserve all the words dedicated to them. And the attitude towards women?? It sucks. In the midst of a war, a central worry of the main character that she eats too much... The constant self deprivation was really bugging me. I personally believe that every person has beauty to them, and the constant tearing down of women (they're stupid, they're old, they're ugly, they're vain) irritated me to no end. Where is the woman hyping up other women? Why, when a queen rescues other women, are the pages full of jealousy and fear, and comparing yourself? I wish the author would realise that weight does not determine your beauty, and that women can be strong while still supporting those around them, and that a man does not determine your value. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, and Murder

Minor: Abortion, Animal death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Trafficking, Body shaming, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Genocide, and Miscarriage

rebecca_dt's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.5

Great character, bad world building

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Vomit, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Gore, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, and Cursing

Moderate: Body shaming