Reviews tagging 'War'

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

65 reviews

emi_miller's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A satisfying follow-up to the first Throne of Glass book — this sets the rest of the series up well and excites me to see how the Maasiverse connects in. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Death, Torture, War, Gaslighting, Genocide, and Murder

britwalsh16's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

It’s not my favorite, but this book has officially gotten me invested in the series!

<spoilers>
 I saw her true name coming, there were a lot of hints throughout the book. But the fact that she is fae, was a bit of a surprise, looking back, there were a few hints for that too, but I just missed them cause I was waiting for the name reveal. 

But also, Dorian has magic? That was a shocker!!! I can’t wait to see how all the magic plays out! 
</spoilers>

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Blood, Torture, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Stalking, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, Classism, Death, Death of parent, and Slavery

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Suicide, and Colonisation

Minor: Misogyny, War, Sexual content, and Vomit

aammeess's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Blood, Classism, Confinement, and Colonisation

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Slavery, Death of parent, and War

ladydeathnesta's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I had a harder time getting through this book than any other SJM book. That being said, it was still a good book, and vital to the storyline for the rest of the series. This book is definitely the turning point of the storyline.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Grief, Hate crime, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Genocide, Gore, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Sexism, and War

erafact's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad fast-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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Moderate: Gore

Minor: Blood, Confinement, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and War

bookedandbusy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This was such a strong sequel and I can’t wait to see how the story continues to progress! Love being back with these characters ✨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Grief, War, Death, Slavery, and Murder

slavery in the sense that people are sent to the mines to basically die or suffer the entire time they’re there

ktmcd26's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.5

A solid follow-up the first book in the series. It picks up not long after the original book and includes all of the players that we saw in the first with very few few additions. It primarily serves as a bridge book, primarily setting up what’s to come next. And I think it does that in a compelling way. 

However, one of the main devices to move us to that next section is a very explicitly racist and sexist troupe.

The only main character of color and the only other female character was brutally murdered for the sole purpose of propelling the main character forward in the story. This is also not conjecture or reading between the lines; there is a whole chapter dedicated to spelling it out for the reader.

I knew that something like this was coming based on other critiques of this author, but I didn’t expect it to be this blatant. 

Our three main characters are all kind of navigating the same basic journey of discovering where they fit into the larger picture of the world around them. It’s interesting to see how they are all handling it differently, and I am more surprised than anyone to find I think Dorian is handling it the best. 

Celeana needs to stop taking things that people say at face value. She has yet to learn to think just one layer deeper, and critically analyze the information see is receiving. I think once she does that and has a chance to process her past (and not resort to murder as a first resort), she will become a more enjoyable heroine to read. I will be looming for that character development in the next few books.

Now for Chaol. O Chaol, I need to stop loving this boy for his potential and acknowledge his actual actions. 

I do think this book does and excellent job of telling a young love story. The highs and lows are felt very acutely. And the complexities that come with love are also explored.

I am relieved the author didn’t try to drag out the reveal that Celeana is the lost princess any longer because that would have gotten cumbersome.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Racism, Murder, and Slavery

Moderate: War and Rape

jcrawford31's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Murder, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Vomit, War, Torture, and Slavery

dalek_caan's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a really solid middle book of a series, it progressed the plot in a way that was important to the series overall and had its own contained plot line as well as some interesting plot twists going along. My one complaint is that the romance plot has been getting a bit repetitive as the series goes on but everything else is great. I love the world and the main character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Confinement, Colonisation, Genocide, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Vomit, Torture, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Slavery, War, Sexual assault, Self harm, and Rape

kayceeisbookish's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcohol, Murder, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Blood, War, and Grief