Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria

6 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Physical abuse

charlieleelee's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry

emily_mh's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Violence, Gun violence, Grief, Child death, Murder, and Blood

Minor: Excrement, Vomit, Torture, Cursing, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, and Alcohol

toopunkrockforshul's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Mental illness, Death of parent, Death, Dementia, Confinement, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Gun violence, Torture, Police brutality, and Physical abuse

emmeline's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

It’s an enjoyable read, a lot of the world building took place via info dump and I wish there was more explanation on the magic system, it’s rules and the differences between groups.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Addiction

Moderate: Blood, Grief, and Medical content

angelareads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Dementia, and Gun violence

Minor: Addiction