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solarin's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Rape and Pedophilia
abirchtealeaf's review against another edition
adventurous
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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Extremely strong trigger warnings on this book. I think it would be very fair if many people passed it up due to those.
Outside of that the curse of chalion was absolutely riviting. I was unable to stop reading the last quarter of the book because I had to know how it ended. The mystery while not terribly deep is satisfying and rooted in a strong lore and interesting characters.
There could be a lot of discourse about this book and I would not disagree that the are bits like the age gap relationsships and more that I think make this book slightly weaker than it should be.
Still I found the writing extremely pleasesant and the narrator was absolutely stellar.
Outside of that the curse of chalion was absolutely riviting. I was unable to stop reading the last quarter of the book because I had to know how it ended. The mystery while not terribly deep is satisfying and rooted in a strong lore and interesting characters.
There could be a lot of discourse about this book and I would not disagree that the are bits like the age gap relationsships and more that I think make this book slightly weaker than it should be.
Still I found the writing extremely pleasesant and the narrator was absolutely stellar.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Sexual harassment, Torture, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Rape
mzfrop's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-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
4.25
Lovely and skillful prose with a competent yet self-effacing narrator I almost immediately found endearing. The plot gathers momentum steadily and by midpoint has started rolling very quickly and gratifyingly. Denouement was a bit predictable, but carried through by the satisfaction of seeing everyone get their happy ending.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Rape
nekoshka's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Misogyny, Animal death, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: War, Sexual assault, and Rape
sapphicsoilscientist's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It's a little predictable, but in the way that good writing leads to clear plotting.
Content Warnings
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.astroprojection's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Slavery, and Torture
Minor: Rape
bookycnidaria's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Violence, War, Murder, Slavery, and Mental illness
Minor: Rape, Homophobia, and Sexism
pvbobrien's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
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
kartoffel_00's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
13th January 2023:
This was unexpectedly a great read to start off my year. The story follows the tutor of a royal family member navigating the court to help himself and his charge. That said the book doesn't pick up until at least 30% and actually gets going at the half way point.
So while the slow pace maybe a boon it certainly isn't without its enjoyment. There are gritty bits and the setting to explore. A very interesting magic system and equally interesting cast of characters.
Cazaril, the protag, is frankly the exact type of character I like reading about. Cautious to a fault and having his wits about him as much as possible while staying humble. His character is a big part of why this book was as enjoyable for me as it was. The way he's written, he doesn't read like a typical fantasy protagonist. Which works here because then the story sheds light on other characters who feel real and important, and not just there to drive the plot along.
The plot has some spectacular moments and really catches one off guard in the least expected places. Especially towards the end. Everything comes around full circle in a rewarding manner.
The writing style itself is a bit complicated for those like myself who don't have a higher degree of comprehension and native fluency in English but nevertheless it isn't unreadable. Just requires a slower reading pace I would say.
The unsettling parts I would say are the age differences in this book which are admittedly not that great at all. And some queasy descriptions aboutrape situation and not the act itself.
Other than that I would say it wasn't a half bad read.
Final Rating: 4.25/5.0
This was unexpectedly a great read to start off my year. The story follows the tutor of a royal family member navigating the court to help himself and his charge. That said the book doesn't pick up until at least 30% and actually gets going at the half way point.
So while the slow pace maybe a boon it certainly isn't without its enjoyment. There are gritty bits and the setting to explore. A very interesting magic system and equally interesting cast of characters.
Cazaril, the protag, is frankly the exact type of character I like reading about. Cautious to a fault and having his wits about him as much as possible while staying humble. His character is a big part of why this book was as enjoyable for me as it was. The way he's written, he doesn't read like a typical fantasy protagonist. Which works here because then the story sheds light on other characters who feel real and important, and not just there to drive the plot along.
The plot has some spectacular moments and really catches one off guard in the least expected places. Especially towards the end. Everything comes around full circle in a rewarding manner.
The writing style itself is a bit complicated for those like myself who don't have a higher degree of comprehension and native fluency in English but nevertheless it isn't unreadable. Just requires a slower reading pace I would say.
The unsettling parts I would say are the age differences in this book which are admittedly not that great at all. And some queasy descriptions about
Other than that I would say it wasn't a half bad read.
Final Rating: 4.25/5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Rape
Rape: there is an explanation for the incident which is a bit triggering with the way it is said but no graphic details about the act itself. Adult/minor:claredragonfly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Death
Minor: Rape