Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

112 reviews

maewinter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Emotional abuse

anaya_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

5.0

This series is an all time favorite and I could write a 10+ page essay about these characters.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder

knifewifestan'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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Gaslighting

merle_rsl's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad 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

I just love the crows! Also Kanej supremecy <3

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Murder

ufollowbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

This is possibly one of the best books I've ever read.

It's got it all - great language, a gripping plot, which balances action with important deep moments, characters you believe in and who _actually_ develop and it's an absolute logical progression, romantic relationships that don't make you want to puke and that aren't for show-offs.

There are important topics here - addiction, disability, hatred of the 'unnatural', father-child relationships, sex trafficking and slavery, trauma and PTSD, LGBTQ+ (and not one tiny skit, but a full and gradual unfolding!), dyslexia, women's rights, interethnic couples... The list is endless.
And it doesn't spoil the book one bit, just adds nuances. Not yellow, but ochre. Sometimes it's the little things, but so perfectly integrated that without them the whole thing would collapse
.
I honestly can't remember the last time I highlighted quotes so much. I can't remember the last time I thought, "This is it, they're not going to make it now." — and they did make it out. And I can't remember the last time I exclaimed WHAT that much over a book!

Oh, and did I mention the humour? Wonderful, relatable humour that dilutes all the horror!

And yes, this book will break your heart. So that you'll be lying in tears and sobbing hysterically, with face in your pillow. And yet you'll want to reread it. Gosh, I've only just finished it and I already want to!

I'd say it's the best of all Leigh Bardugo's books I've read so far. The contrast with The Six of Crows is enormous - it's like everything has been oved from 2D to 3D, so the characters are revealed in much more depth and there are dozens unexpected twists and turns. It's better not even to compare it to Shadow and Bone - defeat would be too bitter XD By the way, there are spoilers for it, but generally pretty obvious, at least to me it was clear after the first book what it was coming to and the references here were absolutely not surprising.

So, after all. My grade?
12/10 and I highly recommended it! Don't repeat my mistakes, don't put it off for no reason

(This text was translated with DeepL from Russian, sorry if there are any mistakes!)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, and Grief

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal cruelty, Sexism, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol

limiwh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Pregnancy

autumnreads98's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Grief

Minor: Mental illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Murder

lainiereads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Oh Leigh Bardugo, you did it again. This book is just perfect. Each of the characters got a chance to shine, and while they all struggled with their own flaws, they were each incredibly lovable. It's so hard to pick a favorite character (although I think Inej is just a step above everyone for me). There were so many twists and turns throughout the story, and every chapter had me on the edge of my seat. I was worried that all of the clever tricks used by the main characters would resolve the conflict too easily, but there were many plot twists that the characters did not expect that added that needed tension. The ending was very bittersweet, but I still finished this book feeling satisfied with how the story closed. 
I was also a big fan of the inclusion of some characters from the Shadow and Bone trilogy, and I am very excited to start King of Scars and see what happens next in the grishaverse! (Nikolai, here I come!)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, Blood, and Grief

Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Death of parent

its_van_vulpen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Racism, Rape, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy

monilib's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Murder