Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

109 reviews

thebookaddict's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful inspiring mysterious relaxing 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

5.0

🇳🇱: Jeetje wat een boek.  Ik heb me geen moment verveelt! Het is een dik boek, maar het is het zeker waard. Het boek heeft een mooi afwisseling van spanning en gebeurtenissen. Ook krijg je een heel goed beeld van de karakters en de redenen van hun gedrag. Er zit emotionele boodschap achter elk character die mij persoonlijk echt aansprak. Er was niet echt Spice maar de romantiek tussen de personen is gwn echt perfect. De afwisseling tussen verschillende perspectieve is ook heel fijn

🇬🇧: jeez what a book. I haven't been bored at all! It is a big book but I had a hard time putting it down. You also get a good look into the history of the characters and you get why they behave the way they behave. Every character  has a emotional story behind them and that got to me! There is not really spice but the romance in this book is chef kisses! It is a slow burn romance but not annoying. I would totally recommend it. I love the different perspectives, that really made a difference 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Addiction, Cursing, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, and War

Minor: Alcohol, Trafficking, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, and Sexual assault

annapolly14's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.25

leigh bardugo give nina and matthias one moment of peace challenge

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Violence, Blood, Death, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Rape, Torture, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Child death, Sexual assault, and Slavery

lilsbabeex's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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 book is such an amazing add on to Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone. It takes from the original pure heist thrill and extends it so much further, it’s no longer just about the money and glory but revenge and destruction with a great cast of characters. It’s an amazing end to the series with a perfect set up for another sequel. Very excited for more from Leah. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, and Ableism

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Slavery, Addiction, Violence, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, and Death

leahfoko's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

I love the crows and I loved this book. I knew I would because I liked the first one, and I really enjoy all the heists and seeing all the twists and turns and wondering how things are going to play out etc. This duology is so exciting and I am wondering at every step what is going to happen next. There’s just so much going on and figuring out Kaz’s schemes as they unfold is just so much fun. If you like a morally questionable crew carrying out heists and developing as friends along the way, you will like this series. I felt like this book wrapped everything up really well but also stood well on its own. And boy was watching Van Eck get his comeuppance at the end damn satisfying. 

I am really, really glad that I decided to read the sequel after reading the Shadow and Bone series. The Six of Crows was the first book that I ever read in the series, it was recommended to me by a friend and I really liked the first book. When I watched Season 1 of Shadow and Bone on Netflix, it made me want to read the original series as well, which I hadn’t been sure of at first because I had heard it wasn’t as good (Leigh Bardugo herself says there are things she wishes she had changed and such). While this duology can definitely stand on it’s own and by no means do you have to read the original series in order to enjoy this one, if you are at all considering reading the original trilogy then I suggest doing so before reading this duology but especially before reading this book. Some of the characters from the original series show up in this book and again, you don’t need to read the originals to enjoy the book, but I enjoyed it so much more knowing who those characters were beforehand. I was so much more invested when they appeared, so if you’re wanting to read the original series then definitely do so first. It’ll be worth it. 

Also DUDE THE STURMHOND CAMEO. I totally thought that he would show up somehow because I mean, he’s a privateer and Nina was a student during the civil war and was trained by Zoya and Genya. Like, of course he was going to be in it. And of course those two would be too. But yet I still absolutely shrieked when he showed up because I would die for Nikolai I love him so much. 10/10 cameo. It was so perfect and I adored his conversation with Kaz and Kaz seeing right through the disguise because of course he did. Perfect. Best part of the book.

I really liked this book, I thought it was super creative and thought out. I was so impressed with how the heists were planned out. If Kaz is a genius for scheming them, then Leigh Bardugo is a genius for creating Kaz and therefore also the schemes. Like damn girl you smart. The characters are flawed but extremely lovable and I thought they all got a really nice ending. Someday I want to read both the books in this duology again because the heists are so elaborate I think they would still be enjoyable to read a second time. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Gun violence, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Rape, Miscarriage, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Violence

There is so much violence, torture, abuse (described usually in past tense, these characters grew up in some really traumatic experiences). They are in a gang in a corrupt, medieval-ish city. So do with that what you will and be prepared. I put in all the content warnings as explicit just to be safe.

poodily's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Addiction, and Slavery

Minor: Xenophobia and Trafficking

dkaps's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Ableism, and Addiction

Minor: Death of parent, Drug abuse, War, Drug use, Alcohol, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Slavery, and Torture

luv_emery's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring 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? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Violence, Trafficking, Physical abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Torture and Addiction

aliyachaudhry's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Grief, Gun violence, Cursing, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Drug use, Gore, Sexism, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Ableism

deerlybeloved's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

If I could rate it any higher, I would.

Crooked Kingdom is a phenomenal sequel to Six of Crows, leaving the reader antsy and waiting, on the edge of their seat with every new twist and turn. Every revealed detail, paid off foreshadowing, character interaction, and planned event leaves you in a new bout of stunned silence as you listen, tense and wanting to know more.

Each character is unique, and fleshed out, meaning every chapter (each written from a different perspective) leaves you excited to learn more about that individual, and has its own personal bit of characterized flair that makes you excited to turn the page and learn who the next point-of-view is fore-- Matthias, Inej, Wylan? You just have to find out, sleep be damned.

So much weaves together to form a plot where just as one issue is resolved, you remember that ah, that's right, three chapters earlier that other plot point was introduced, and all of a sudden it's coming back-- You can't believe you forgot, but how could you not when the fate of the world was being handled first?!

The end will break your heart, as much as it heals it, giving you as many tears as it does grins as you flip through the ending chapters and realize just how much has been lost...and how much is being rebuilt.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Confinement, Chronic illness, Torture, Religious bigotry, Drug abuse, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Drug use, Xenophobia, Violence, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Grief, Blood, Addiction, and Child abuse

Moderate: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Murder, Hate crime, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Ableism, and Forced institutionalization

Inej, one of the main characters, has a backstory HEAVILY rooted in discussion of pedophilia, child trafficking, sex trafficking, slavery, sexual slavery, rape, sexual abuse, kidnapping, and so much more. While handled with beautiful tact and insight, the depictions of flashbacks and Inej's feelings of these things can comfort survivors of similar things as much as it destroys us. Go with caution. As well, religious bigotry, ableism, trauma, emotional neglect, horrid things happening to children, war, racial fetishization, and so much more is dealt with in tactful ways, but ever presently used as reminders that the world is as imperfect and dark as it is beautiful.

aj_igoe's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.5

I love this book. I loved the first book (six of crows). The only reason I’m giving it a 4.5 instead of a 5.0 it’s because there’s a death that I feel is just for shock value and wasn’t necessary. 

Other than that this book was wonderful in the character development was wonderful. There’s a lot of dark themes about this book and I really enjoyed seeing the parallels to modern day capitalism

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Physical abuse, Classism, and War

Moderate: Death of parent, Kidnapping, Torture, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Child death, Confinement, Death, Violence, Slavery, Drug use, and Sexual content