Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Last Sun

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

ash2app's review

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adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

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heypretty52's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

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literatehedgehog's review

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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? It's complicated

5.0

I can see how this is a recommendation for fans of Everina Maxwell's romantic space sci-fi - there is banter, there is sexual tension, there is rollickin adventure with things-are-more-dangerous-than-they-appear plot twists. However, this is a much darker story, both with people's cruelty towards one another, and with the ghoulishly grotesque. I wish there had been a content warning (like Maxwell's and other books), since the abuse and PTSD is horrifying. The ghoulish grotesquerie read like an adult version of Garth Nix's Sabriel books, if you have an active imagination it is going to be a disgusting visual read in your mind, but if you can handle that, or blur the goopy gore, it's manageable. Plus the action is so thrilling you might just be turning the pages too fast. PLUS, the key words are just too fun: Tarot themed lords and thrones, Atlantis (surprise, humans, magic has been here all along and it's TERRIFYING, like Robin McKinley's Sunshine), sigils and tattoos, "oh there's just the one bed" (because you need to throw the romance fans a trope bone). Apparently this could be a long series?? Normally I wait for series to be completed (I forget things, I can't be rereading too many books at each pub date), but for this, I will read whatever comes next as it comes. Although only when I have the hours to stay up late reading and when my heart can handle the trauma.

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augustisweird's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

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so_many_books's review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

So many people recommended this book and series to me that I needed to find out for myself what's so great about it. And I did. Because it IS amazing and I thoroughly enjoy myself reading it.

The Last Sun is an urban fantasy with a storyline rivalling epic fantasies. Some aspect I loved about the book:
- Rune is strong but not perfect main character. He also pretends to not care, but he does. A lot.
- Rune and Brand friendship is one of the focus of the book and it's epic and wonderful
- There's a found family. We all love a found family and this one is especially lovable.
- The magic system is confusing, but I didn't mind because it's unique and well-though-out.
- The story is fast paced and there is not one boring moment.
- The subtle romance is so good.
- All supporting characters are lovable.

Rune and Brand are hired to look for a missing scion and they soon learn that there is much more behind the scenes than a simple disappearance and darker force are in play. They get into tricky situations time and time again and there is always something extra happening. While this action-packed nature of the book ensures that there is not a single boring moment, it also makes it hard to keep up. Especially that the world and the magic system is so new. I never thought I would say this but I missed some info-dumping about the world. But that's maybe just me constantly wanting to know every detail.

I enjoyed this book a lot and will definitely read the other published books. I think the story will build up to be one of the best I've read. Can't wait to continue.

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andrescastaneda66's review

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adventurous dark funny inspiring 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? Yes

4.25

the characters are very well written. introducing so many aspects of magic that are connected to specific characters helped distinguish between the characters. the ones you were supposed to love I loved and the ones you were meant to despise I despised (albeit each for their own reasons). there are clear building blocks to continue the series. having a world where homosexuality is freely accepted was refreshing to see. the banter between Rune and Brand was great. the chemistry that Adam and Rune had was really fun as well. the way the action was written allowed for easy and exciting visualization and the power systems were fairly balanced between the 'good' and 'bad' characters which made the fight scenes even more tense. Similar to the way Stephen King divides the books there weren't really chapters, more so clearly defined locations/scenes were used to separate the different parts of the book

the book starts off pretty slow, mainly for the first 50 pages, and then picks up slightly before becoming an enthralling story. some of the writing was confusing, mainly the decision to use 'I said' or 'he said' before the line of dialogue. this made it difficult to read at some points. the decision to use sexual assault to develop Rune's character felt unnecessary, although at least it was used in a way that benefitted Rune as a character for the most part.

it seems like the assault is going to be a major plot point for the entire series, so hopefully, it is handled with care and used in a way that continues to empower rune.

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kalseng's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

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

3.0

(Upon looking over this review, I recognize that I lead with a lot of criticism. There are things I liked, I promise! I gave it a 3! That's a good book!)

The Last Sun was a fine book, with some structural choices I found annoying. I also found this particular printing layout annoying, with a random blank page thrown in at the end of chapters, sometimes before the last page of the chapter actually concluded. Weird! I also don't find the central romance very compelling, I think. It's fine, but fluffy and kind of... empty.

I am also very distracted by the lack of women. The majority of what few women are present are barely described, except to remark on the weight of one particular character. (To my recollection, there were also few, if any, people of color present.) Queenie is a major character who is regularly mentioned, discussed, and thanked. And I have NO idea what she looks like!

The plot is decidedly interesting, though it lacks the sort of huge, recontextualizing twist that I live for in mystery plots.

I like the world-building, the way magic is described is plenty interesting, and I found most of the characters incredibly likeable. Brand, in particular, stands out as a favorite as the story progresses.

Again, overall, 3/5, good book if you like urban fantasy mystery/thrillers with writing reminiscent of a prestige television show.

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themelodyofspring's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

This was amazing! Found family vibes off the charts! The characters were all so fun. The triggering stuff (while limited) was worse than I had been told 😶‍🌫️
Audiobook narration was fucking awesome ⭐

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