Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin

12 reviews

kaitlintracy's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Grief, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Gore, Medical trauma, Violence, Animal death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Suicide, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Murder

amandalachelle's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Slavery, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Homophobia

_katesund_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Body horror, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Murder, Medical content, Medical trauma, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Death

Moderate: Slavery, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

cryptidcucumber's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

5.0

LOVED THIS. A little cliche, and comes with a long list of trigger warnings but by golly I wish I could be the pirate captain Bennett. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Kidnapping, Gore, Blood, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Infidelity, Confinement, Slavery, Murder, Grief, Death of parent, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Death

Moderate: War, Rape, and Vomit

dragnfary's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Torture, Slavery, Sexual violence, Death, Physical abuse, Murder, Infidelity, Grief, Vomit, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Rape, Violence, Pregnancy, and Death of parent

whathollyread's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Woah… this was a whole lot. A friend recommended this book to me and I trust anything with pages that she throws at me. I went in thinking this was going to be a fun smutty pirate book. And it was! But my god was it sooo much darker than what I bargained for. Once it started it didn’t stop and I felt like I kept reading for the light at the end of the tunnel!

I absolutely loved the author’s dedication to writing in the narrator’s voice for her time period and adding in all the nautical terms (like we knew what any of it meant). Speaking of the narrator, Bennett, I loved the strength of this woman! She was strong and I loved her inner dialogue and her will to live through every horrendous thing that happened to her.

I’m not going to get into all the issues with this book (e.g. white savior, rape, rape-ish behavior that is quickly forgiven…), because I read other reviews that I think do it better justice.

At the end of the day this book… it didn’t steam roll - I need a boat metaphor- maybe it gave a big heave ho over my heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Misogyny, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Confinement, Slavery, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Death of parent, Racism, Vomit, Grief, Gore, Death, Classism, and Sexual violence

sarahtheshark's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.75

Explicit sex and pirates

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Confinement, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Death, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Gore, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Slavery, and Sexual violence

deesquared's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

4.0

Bit of a rollercoaster, couldn’t stop reading, definitely check triggers! I’m not sure if it was historically accurate, but still a wild read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Torture, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicidal thoughts

mal_bookedatfirstsight's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

2.5

THIS BOOK GAVE ME WHIPLASH! I loved so much of this book even though it was graphic and rough to read, but I couldn’t get over the ending. It took a turn I thought was too coincidental and too easily accepted, I just couldn’t get onboard with it. However, the pacing is perfection and the plot keeps you on your toes. 

Bennett is a fierce fabulous female heroine and honestly I loved her so much. BUT THESE MEN YALL…. BIGGEST TRASH PILE DUMPSTER FIRES omg I wanted them to go away and leave her in peace. 



HUGE TW for Rape and Sexual Assault 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Grief and Slavery

Minor: Suicide

lea_talisa's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I love this so much. 

Historical fiction isn’t something I read a lot but let me tell you it was just that good. This is like Pirates of the Caribbean with kind of a love triangle and way more explicit scenes (sexual as well as torturing ones). So please check the trigger warnings on this one !

At 8% of the story (attempted) rape made me reconsider continuing but I pushed through and I was absolutely captured by the book.

After the first half I was very very conflicted about this story. I love the setting and everything. But it hurt my heart to read some of those sex or rather rape scenes. 

As problematic as this is for me, the story was still captivating and fortunately I continued reading.

I like Bennett’s character. She’s a strong and intelligent but savage female main character. She earned her respect and has everything it takes to lead but she also has a vulnerable side. 

Some quotes:

„I’d never been a woman who depended on a man to save her. This wasn’t their fight. It was mine.“

„I forgave the two men I loved, completely and unconditionally. Not for their sakes. I did it for me. A final gift to myself“ 

I couldn’t put this book down. Some parts made my heart ache and my stomach sick but it just felt so real and then there were the happy scenes full of hope, trust and love. This book broke my heart quite a few times but never failed to put it back together.

At about 75% I knew this book is going to be a highlight of mine. I just didn’t want this story to end and loved everything about it.

This book isn’t for the lighthearted or for those who are triggered by mostly rape but a lot of other points to. So this time really check the trigger warnings and be sure going into the book that it isn’t going to be pretty. 

For everybody who can handle all the featured triggers you’re in for a ride and I hope with my whole heart that you will love this book as much as I did by the end.

Some more quotes:

„And we shall be blinded by our love for life and beyond the ends of the sea.“

„Love had hunted me, captured me, bred madness, and yes, it left a sea of ruin in its wake“

„I was a pirate captain, a rebel queen of the sea, fighting against the conformities of society and the oppressive laws of man.“

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Suicide, Death of parent, Rape, and Sexual content

Moderate: Confinement, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Slavery, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, and Vomit

Minor: Pregnancy