Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

51 reviews

smithreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Grief, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Classism, Drug use, Gore, Kidnapping, War, and Sexual content

Moderate: Murder and Death of parent

Minor: Homophobia

kagey's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

A satisfying conclusion to my favourite series in recent years. This novel didn’t seem quite as tight as the first to, but venturing out into the wizard world was fascinating. A lot of revelations and payoffs that were set up previously. Definitely can be read as a compelling allegory for capitalism, and I think the complexity taken on in the narrative is admirable. If anything I just wanted more, more Chloe, more time with Liu, more of the fallout, more of the other graduates. Still grateful for what we got though, I think Novik stuck the landing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and War

Minor: Child abuse

greymalkin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

An incredibly satisfying and pleasing conclusion to the trilogy.   I loved it and immediately started re-reading the series again for reasons mentioned under the spoiler tag.

It is very rare for an author to be able to drop a twist so late in a series and pull it off.  Either the twist is predicated on information that the reader never knew or couldn't possibly know (e.g. That there were two murderers, that one particular song has huge personal meaning for the main character even though it was never mentioned, etc.).  But Naomi Novik did a marvelously satisfying job at it.  As soon as it came up I was like OMG now so many things make sense!!  There were always little moments that felt interesting but not particularly significant, and to have them suddenly all be huge clues as to what was really going on was very very cool.  The twist didn't feel like it came out of nowhere and it didn't make me feel stupid for not noticing all the hints.  I love when I can be delightfully surprised (and horrified because of the actual content of the twist). 

I also really loved that this book focused on El really deepening her friendships and feelings for other people and showing how she could bring together disparate groups even though she's not particularly charismatic or great at social things.  I had liked Liesel from the second book but I really loved her in this one.  And Orion... my heart bled for Orion.   

It took me a while to finish the book because I was deliberately pacing it out, savoring the moments because so many huge things happened all the time it was better to take in the book in sips rather than gulps.  And once I finished it, I immediately started reading the first book again.   Only a few chapters into the first book and I was very pleased to see that yes indeed, there's a huge clue right there right at the start and yet we had no idea what we were looking at so it meant nothing.  Tremendous.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Racism

Minor: Child death

chamaeleontis's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.75

I loved this book. It was a great way to end the series. But I was a little disappointed by the ending (rushed and has a trope I don’t like), or it would have been 5 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Torture, Violence, War, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Body horror, Child abuse, Medical content, Blood, Drug use, Gore, Classism, Confinement, Grief, and Sexual content

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia

purplepenning's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Grief, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Death, Violence, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual content

uranaishi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Vomit, Violence, Death of parent, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and War

Minor: Blood, Confinement, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

emmahe's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Too rushed for the third book of such an incredible trilogy. Would have been better split into two books. Expanding the world and lore so rapidly meant things were lost and confusing. Could have been just as impactful splitting and expanding on history, background, character, etc. 

It’s still a great series but I think this was a worse ending than the first two books deserved. That being said, it’s still far better than a lot of stories I’ve read. I hope i’m in the minority and Id still recommend people read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Child death

Moderate: Grief, Child abuse, Violence, War, Torture, Murder, and Death of parent

ttumbletree's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Death, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence

daftdruid's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

Absolutely cannot express the amount I adore this series.

Not a wishy washy and poor-writing excuse of a prophecy led high school fantasy setting - this book takes you absolutely through every experience and it does a bloody good job of it too.

Will absolutely be re-reading asap.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death and Child abuse

cragamiel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

A great way to wrap up the series, in a way that felt true to all the characters and didn't make me break down sobbing, like I was expecting.

That said, while I get why El never went after Ophelia and I know it was the right thing to do, GOD I still wish she'd torn her to shreds, not gonna lie lol

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder and Child abuse