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batesbarb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, Animal cruelty, and Death
sapphicsoilscientist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
Minor: Rape, Vomit, Torture, and Body horror
the rape is implied as something that happens on enemy ships and once in a castle keep but it does not happen 'on screen.' There is mention of some infidelity, but it turns out that everyone involved was apparently on the same page about it? The slavery is not like the trans-atlantic trade. tl;dr- fantasy writers will never not use fantasy men threatening rape as a way to get fantasy ladies to do what they want.pvbobrien's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Animal death, Homophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, and Violence
Minor: Murder, War, Rape, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Infertility
gothnailcare's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Death and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse
claredragonfly's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal death and Death
Minor: Rape
c_cosio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death
Minor: Sexual assault
e_flah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A lot of the plot hinges upon the politics both within Chalion and the larger external conflicts it is mired in. It could be very confusing to keep track of the key players as there are many with similar names and little detail is given of the other countries besides just general stereotypes. The internal politics were a bit clearer though I still found myself wishing for some kind of a character guide to keep track of the various factions and important positions.
The main characters in The Curse of Chalion were easy to root for but stayed relatively stagnant throughout the book. Cazaril, Iselle, and Betriz were all fundamentally decent though lacking in any real flaws that would have made them more interesting to read about. I kept hoping for some major character development that never materialized. Of the three, Caz is the most changed by his experiences but his character growth seems to make him an even more perfect character, which quickly grew boring.
Despite all of these complaints, there were times when I found myself really swept up in this story of people trying to do good despite facing misfortune on all sides. The portrayal of religion in Chalion was interesting and unlike anything else I'd read. It was also great to read a fantasy novel where the romance plays a very minor role in the story. I'm definitely open to trying the next book in the series as I found Ista's character compelling.
Moderate: Violence, Death, Animal death, and Slavery
Minor: Infertility and Suicidal thoughts
obviousthings's review against another edition
Graphic: Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Slavery, Excrement, Medical content, Murder, and Misogyny
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Torture, Mental illness, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Fatphobia, Infertility, and Infidelity