Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore

36 reviews

beary_bookwormish's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense slow-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

4.25

As always Miss Cashore spends a wonderful yarn. I love that her characters have a lot of depth and they are very human. It's a fantasy without it being too fantastical. The characters are very flawed.

The character Lavesa is extremely complicated. She has so many things going on and she is always trying to figure out something, about someone or something. Her mind is constantly in overdrive. Her journey is very different that's the best way to put it. I was really surprised about the promiscuity of the main character Lavesa she had no Scruples whatsoever which was surprising.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Gaslighting, Torture, Toxic relationship, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Mental illness, Abandonment, Child abuse, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Sexual content

emilycfox's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, and Child abuse

Minor: Sexual assault and Toxic relationship

bri_morgan's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Murder, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, Confinement, Animal death, and Child abuse

Minor: Child death

albernikolauras's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted 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

4.5

Winterkeep follows Bitterblue in a brand new nation with a brand new culture, magic system, & government. I was worried we would spend too much time following Bitterblue or Gideon, but instead we follow Lovisa - a daughter to some very important politicians.

I really enjoyed following Lovisa and the path she went on. It was hard following her some times and this book carries on with a lot of the heavy themes Cashore writes so delicately. There are adorable foxes and lovable characters, and I love how strategic and delibrate Lovisa is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Child abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Xenophobia, Violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual content

imds's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Death, Torture, Emotional abuse, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Grief

ashli's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and Child abuse

melanieapril's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, and Violence

Minor: Bullying

gingerbread814's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

Minor: Violence, Bullying, and Grief

laurenkimoto's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I put off reading this for such a long time because I didn’t think anything could live up to the original trilogy but I regret that choice. Cashore expands the world and builds the characters deftly while dealing with some heavy and serious topics with nuance and care. 

I was warned about the parents and wow I did not expect it to go like it did and how it evolved

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Violence, Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Classism

queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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? No

5.0

5 ⭐ CW: violence, child abuse, sexual content, slut-shaming, suicide mention, murder, death of a parent, imprisonment 

Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore is book 4 of the Graceling Realm series. I cannot stress how much I love this series! And it's completely underrated! I have loved every single one of these installments, and Winterkeep is no different. 

We continue to follow Bitterblue a few years after the events of the previous book. We also get Giddon's perspective in this book, and he's a great character. Bitterblue and company travel to the newly discovered continent of Torla, a country made up of democratic republics and vast scientific advances. When Bitterblue is swept overboard on the journey to Winterkeep, she finds herself in the middle of a plot. We also get new characters, like Lovisa, the daughter of the Winterkeep President. Lovisa's life is turned upside down when she discovers what is hidden in her attic and what her parents are up to. 

One of my favorite things about these books is that Cashore doesn't shy away from letting her female characters embrace their sexuality. Both Bitterblue and Lovisa are pretty open about having multiple lovers, and I suspect Lovisa to be somewhere on the Aromantic spectrum. I loved Lovisa's character and her growth throughout the book. She's tough, blunt, and honest and doesn't much care for expectations. I definitely related to her as someone who grew up in an abusive household without understanding how bad it actually was. I really felt for Lovisa when she finally figured out that's not normal. Giddon was such a sap this book. He cried so much, but it was kinda sweet. We get more from Hava too, and I read her as neurodivergent. We get sentient, telepathic foxes! And a sentient Sea monster that just wants to be left alone. I want to be able to talk to silbercows. They seem so cute and fun. 

There is a lot of political intrigue in these books, and I'm a fan. I will say that this isn't the most fast paced books series, but it has so much in it. The world-building is just incredible. Cashore has expanded the world with each book and new character, and it just becomes fuller. Super looking forward to Seasparrow, but also dreading the end of this amazing series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Confinement

Moderate: Violence and Sexual content

Minor: Suicide