Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

19 reviews

ttorisaurus's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Death

Minor: Abandonment, Blood, Classism, Pregnancy, Murder, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

oisinthewizard's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.25

I loved this book up to about page 340. 

The characters are robust and dynamic, even in their flaws. I appreciate Yaga's flaws and limited perception of time and place, even as the daughter of a god. It takes a deft hand to write a vulnerable immortal and Salnikova Gilmore pulled it off. The landscape of Ivan the Terrible's Russia draws the reader in with its starkness and brutality. I enjoyed the found family dynamics with the Skomorokhi Knights, although sensitive readers may find the brutality of the Oprichniki to be too much. (To be fair to the author, they were far more brutal in actual history than in this fantasy novel.)

As my issues with the book are primarily with the ending, I will write them as spoilers.

Once it became obvious that Selica, Lady of Death, sister of Baba Yaga, is also Kostroma, Lady of Spring nad Rebirth, sister of Kupalo, I thought the plot to kill Selica would have an obvious ending - it is in the killing to of the deity of winter that she can become the deity of spring. This is a known mythological cycle and makes sense. So when Yaga's ritual just perma-kills her and the goddess of spring and winter is no more - I am honestly confused as to how that would possibly restore the order of seasons in Russia, especially with Morozko, who has been inflicting eternal winter on Russia, unpunished and unfettered.

I also found Vasily's story from page 340 on to be unnecessarily complicated and without proper resolution. He could have just disappeared in the war against the Lithuanian and Polish armies. To have him under some unexplained spell and then just appear, perfectly fine, at the end of the book, despite Yaga and Marina waiting for him for months in Psok makes no sense.

Selica's anger at men does not have any textual support, as it was her mother who sold her into marriage and her husband, Morozko, who supported her escape from it. On page 344, she accuses Morozko of infidelity and punishes Vasily for "Yet he is a man, and how easily they forget. She is doing Yaga a favor. Look where men have gotten Selica. Like all women, her sister is better off on her own." None of this is supported by the text. We have no evidence prior to this of Morozko having any lover other than Selica and Vasily has loyal to Yaga.

Lastly, I was very disappointed that after Selica is banished to the lands of the dead, none of the characters who were participating in brutal massacres for basically the entire book have any responsibility to their actions and in fact, appear to just stop now that the Lady of Death is gone. Do they not have any agency of their own?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Death of parent, Murder, Blood, Death, War, and Injury/Injury detail

alisonvh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.0

Baba Yaga is a mostly immortal half goddess trying to stop Ivan the Terrible from being so terrible. I love historical fiction, I love magic, I love talking animals, and I love stories about gods and goddesses messing with human affairs. Mix it all together and you have a book written just for me!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Abandonment, Death, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, Blood, Violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Torture

imogenoakes's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Violence

lovosii's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Murder, Sexual content, Abandonment, Violence, Confinement, and Blood

Moderate: Rape, Animal death, Classism, Gun violence, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

music_madeline's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative 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

3.0

I enjoyed the Russian mythology and history interwoven into the story. The additional thoughts of Yaga highlighted her growth and journey to find herself. The use of mother-daughter, sister, and husband-wife relations added to the depth of the story. There were some sections that felt a bit too fast, especially when challenges were in the way. Overall, I enjoyed this book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and War

Minor: Cursing

kirstym25's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, and Death

Moderate: Grief and Religious bigotry

Minor: Animal death

skitch41's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious tense fast-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

Moderate: War, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Blood

christiepb's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

As someone who knows next to nothing about Russian folklore I absolutely loved this book; I have seen other reviews from more knowledgeable people who didn’t like the artistic license taken (which I get). However I think it’s a sign of a good story when I am sad that it ended and wish there was a second instalment! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, War, and Violence

cookiecat73's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, War, Xenophobia, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Classism, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia, Animal cruelty, Grief, Sexism, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Misogyny, Vomit, Self harm, Sexual content, Animal death, and Child abuse