Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Beneath the Citadel

Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria

12 reviews

nexon's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful fast-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

3.75

This book clearly takes a lot of inspiration from Six of Crows, but I think it lacks the heart that really pulls you into Bardugo's world. It isn't bad by any means, and I did enjoy it quite a bit, but it's not really something that keeps you thinking about it once you're done.

I liked most of the main characters and enjoyed the nuance to side ones, rather than a strictly defined "good/bad" like a lot of fantasy novels. The plot also kept me intrigued and I honestly was not sure which way it would go.

One thing I didn't like was Cassa. She was just an extremely irritating character, and the best chapters were the ones without her involved. I understand why she was driven to do what she did, but her personality just really grated me. Honestly, I spent half the book hoping she would die.

Though when she did, I was surprised to find myself feeling sad, mostly due to the other characters' reactions, so I think that part was done well.

A smaller pet peeve I had is that there were several sentences that ended with the word "though" that didn't sound right. It annoyed me when they came up, but thankfully it wasn't frequent enough to be a dealbreaker.

Also, it was kind of... awkward when the characters straight up stated their sexuality. I feel like the labels we use in real life don't translate that well to fantasy worlds. Forgive me for making the comparison again, but imo Six of Crows is a great example of how to handle such things.

Overall, I think it's worth the read if you just want to enjoy a standalone adventure without getting too invested in the world.

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dlrosebyh's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

3.5

People in the city of Eldra are governed by ancient prophecies. Because of the elder seers' forecasts, the high council has maintained its position of authority for ages. Growing unrest after the fulfillment of the last infallible prophesy resulted in murders and, eventually, a rebellion that lasted for more than ten years.

Cassa, the rebels' orphaned daughter in the present, is adamant about taking revenge on the high council, which rules Eldra from within the citadel walls. Cassa struggles to come to terms with the heritage of rebellion her deceased parents have left her and the worry that she may not be able to carry the load because her only companions are the no-nonsense Alys, the laid-back Evander, and the consistently underrated Newt. However, it might be too late for Cassa and her allies to save the city or themselves by the time they solve the enigma of the final infallible prophecy.

I didn't find the book to be in any way poor. The writing was great, the plot was interesting, and the characters were incredibly endearing and diverse. Don't get me wrong, I get why people enjoy this book, especially for the lgbtqia+ members out there; it's just that it didn't really stick out to me. Nonetheless, if you see a found family of teen rebels, I would always be there being their #1 supporter.

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thebakersbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

I didn't realize how long this book was until I'd started reading (wasn't really feeling focused enough for a long fantasy) but Beneath the Citadel caught my attention and held it to the end. Author Destiny Soria's worldbuilding is innovative and her premise captivating, but characterization and emotional stakes is where her writing really shines. Not every protagonist character is likeable (nor should they be), but each has a clear goal and I ended up rooting for them anyway.

Government corruption, classism, and fighting injustice are main themes of the story. The setting and "magic" system play into these power imbalances, but much of the commentary is beautifully and horrifically applicable to real life. It was also nice that while the book mirrors life in some ways, there is no mention of racism or homophobia in-world. Race never really comes up, and three of the five main characters are queer but never discriminated against because of that. However, one of the characters has a condition reminiscent of EDS, and it's heavily implied that his (off-page) mistreatment at his father's hands is at least partially because of this.

I highly recommend this book to fans of fantasy and anyone looking for a high-stakes heist story featuring a constantly arguing but close-knit friend group. Beneath the Citadel is a new favorite for sure, and I'm off to add Soria's other books to my TBR!

content warnings: mention of parents' deaths; mention of child abuse (physical and emotional)

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lanid's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious

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

3.5

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quasinaut's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.25

At times convoluted, this fantasy adventure with a crew of teens was fun and thrilling. Interesting individual powers and strengths; reminded me of Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic.

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bookbrig's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-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? No

4.25

I really enjoyed this. There's a diverse blend of characters dealing with everything from dead parents to panic attacks to physical abuse, as well as a wonderfully twisty story and interesting world building. Plus, FRIENDS! I love stories about friends navigating adventures together, and this group were particularly endearing. I love that Alys was fat, and early in the story thinks about her THIGHS CHAFING while she's running because chub rub is real and I cannot remember reading about it in a fantasy story EVER. I love the tentative slow blossom romance (and I HATED a late book scene

that stole some bits of that romance it was SO EVIL

). I love Cassa being kind of annoying to her friends but also feeling ALL THE THINGS and not really knowing how to process that. And related, I really enjoyed the contrasts between Vesper and Cassa's ways of approaching their problems. Basically, while the plot didn't necessarily wow me at every turn, this book gave me lots of feels and they were Good.

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elwirax's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-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

4.0

Pros:

• The representation!

Alys- plus size, PoC, asexual, suffers from anxiety/ panic attacks (I related to her the most)

Cassa- PoC (annoying at times but she kinda grew on me as the story progressed)

Evander- Bisexual, PoC (absolutely loved his personality)

Newt- Gay (what a sweetheart, I wish he was more present as a main character though)

• Truth be told I loved all the characters so I can't even pick a favourite.

• Loved the atmosphere and witty characters.

• I appreciated that their sexualities were actually stated on paper, made me connect with Aly's character that much more

• Quenched my need for a book like Six of Crows. You can definitely see the strong similarities between "Beneath the Citadel" and "Six of Crows" but this just added to my personal enjoyment.

Cons:

• There were certain aspect the author kept repeating throughout the book which after a while got tieresome.

• The relationships weren't as established as I'd hoped, even the brother/ sister bond didn't seem to be all that strong.

• Wasn't as dark as I'd hoped but I suppose that's a personal preference

• Although there were meant to be high stakes I didn't really feel them all that much

• I want to know what the thing in the lake was

Overall, I really enjoyed this, it wasn't perfect but it had a great group of characters and an atmospheric setting which made it difficult to put down. Recommend to Six of Crows fans.

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emily_mh's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense fast-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

4.25

This was a really entertaining read as it was just almost constant action. It had a diverse cast of loveable characters who shared realistic and endearing relationships with one another. The magic system was fascinating and quite mind-bending at times, definitely keeping me on my toes. The ending was also really satisfying, although I kind of wish it wasn't a standalone as by the end I wanted to spend more time in Eldra with the characters.

The only reason this isn't a five star read is that the beginning is quite jarring, which had far-reaching consequences. You're dumped in the deep end where the group of rebels have known each other for years and have been caught infiltrating the Citadel, which means the action begins right away before you get the chance to understand the characters and their relationships, which are already fully formed without your observance. It made me feel quite disconnected from them for a large part of the book and as such I couldn't give it 5 stars in the end.

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aseel_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

this had a lot of promise, a great first sentence, premise (love prophecies), and a rag tag team? yes we love. but its execution was just a bit flat, and I found the characters really hard to connect with, care, while also being flat but annoying?? it's hard to explain but I was just disappointed with it :(

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toopunkrockforshul's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book! I really liked the story telling style and switching perspectives and the way relevant things were revealed as they became relevant. The characters and world were super interesting and the story and resolution felt very complex and balanced, just like real life.

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