Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Ballada ptaków i węży by Suzanne Collins

260 reviews

kattila's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, War, Alcohol, Animal death, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Confinement, Police brutality, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Blood, Addiction, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Genocide, Terminal illness, and Torture

Minor: Cannibalism and Medical trauma

amaralh's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child death, Death, War, and Violence

Moderate: Torture, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, and Genocide

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Pregnancy, Animal death, Classism, Addiction, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Cannibalism, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault

nicolelis's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

coriolanus snow is a deeply delusional man (so real tbh). first thing i said when i finished reading this was: "she was insane for this book" and i stand by that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Cannibalism, Death of parent, Classism, and War

Minor: Drug abuse

arce's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Child death, Racism, Death, Gun violence, and Torture

Moderate: War

Minor: Drug abuse and Medical content

lyramadeline's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Torture, Gore, Death, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Cannibalism, Alcohol, Addiction, and Drug abuse

Minor: Cursing

lola218_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Classism, Murder, Child abuse, Death, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, War, Child death, Gore, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Grief, and Xenophobia

Minor: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Cannibalism, Drug use, and Drug abuse

countdraculahimself's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Classism, Death, and War

Moderate: Murder, Gun violence, and Drug abuse

Minor: Toxic relationship

azileotulp's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

I can't praise this book enough. Suzanne Collins has such a special way of writing that manages to always keep me engaged and wanting to know more. I didn't even mind the slower parts the way I do in other books because they added so much to the story. Every sentence felt perfectly crafted to contribute to the themes of the story. I honestly already want to read it again and again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Murder, War, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Addiction, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Medical content, Kidnapping, Confinement, Gun violence, Gore, and Grief

Minor: Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

forestfloor's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

Collins writing engages me just as much as when I read the original Hunger Games books. 

Having heard other people discuss this story I was worried that Snow would be humanised too much in the text but I think the narrative does an excellent job of balancing the line between telling a human character's story from his perspective, and making sure he doesn't gain the audience's empathy. Snow is now be lent context that causes him to seem less like an other worldly monster, as he appears to Katniss. Now, he is a person, but Collins ensures it is clear throughout that while he is a person, he's a bad one, constantly making evil choices. 

While I think it's of merit to the story, I did at times find Snow's entitled, arrogant, disdainful, hypocritical, manipulative, and controlling manner to be uncomfortable to read, particularly in how this spills over into the portrayal of Lucy Gray as something of an exotic manic pixie dream girl. However, as I say, I think this is consistent with the perspective and important for the story, and Collins writes in a way that allows you to feel that Snow's behaviours are condemned, even as he justifies them to himself. 

Wonderful tie ins to the Hunger Games trilogy throughout, and a very enjoyable read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Cannibalism and Drug abuse

Minor: Vomit and Suicidal thoughts

mcshnick's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Child death

Moderate: Drug abuse