Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Wer die Hölle kennt by Leigh Bardugo

45 reviews

pinkyoshi's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, Self harm, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Grief

celinbean's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.5

don’t get me wrong i loved the book i got sucked into the story even though with my exams coming up i have no time.

My main issue with the book is that there was always so much happening that neither the characters nor the reader had any time to just breath and process everything that happened before jumping into the next catastrophe thrown at them. There were no heartfelt conversations and the bonds between the characters were never truly explored.

Like when alex brought darlington back from hell by herself there was no heartfelt reunion. He barely even got a hug and a im so glad you made it back. They relayed what happened and the he just shuffles into his old bedroom and pours himself a drink and has a short pragmatic conversation with alex and that’s it. It was so anticlimactic! These people literally went to hell to get hin back each with their own motivation and then we just brush over it?? Even though that was basically the whole point of them interacting at all. That was the main plot point? Like my man spend a whole fucking year in hell and all he gets when he comes back is a clap on the back and that’s it? A “how was spain?” “Hotter than expected” off hand joke and nothing more? 

There were so many plot twists unfurling one after another without really exploring the consequences. A lot of these plot points led nowhere or were a distraction for the characters. So many themes were touched on that i wish we had lingered on more (like the corruption at the heart of academia, the cost of magic and desire, the way our most intimate traumas can shape and distort us and what it takes to survive in a world that either wants to actively get rid of you or doesn’t care about you at all). 

So overall i appreciate bardugo’s well of creativity when it comes to plot but i wish we had explored the emotional bonds between the characters more and lingered more on big reveals in the story to make them actually meaningful. 

Also why was i absolutely convinced this was a duology and i would get closure for this whole story?? Now i probably have to wait another like 2 years 😭 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Death

Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Police brutality, and Rape

amberacademia's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

2.5

2.5/5 

As one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 I’m not going to lie I was a little let down. 

The pacing was definitely consistent but was going at a million miles per hour constantly. There was so much going on and it would have been nice to be able to sit through some steady character development.

The secret societies didn’t really play any major part in this plot line, which was a little surprising, with Ninth House/ Lethe supposed to be the overseers of the secret societies. The book didn’t have the same dark academia vibe I got from Ninth House and felt much more like a heist book. 

I wouldn’t say the book wasn’t enjoyable but it felt so far from origins of Ninth House. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Blood, Racism, Grief, Physical abuse, Addiction, Animal death, Classism, Gore, and Murder

renegades's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Hell Bent is a great follow up to a book that had so much packed into it, it nearly made my head spin. As a sequel, it has a strong plot and a strong sense of self and really benefits from all of the worldbuilding that had already been done in Ninth House. I didn’t remember a single detail of NH and as a result quickly realized I would have to read some in-depth summaries before proceeding here. It definitely helped, but NH has so much in it that is then referenced and recalled in HB that I was still left with gaps in knowledge. I would definitely recommend rereading NH before venturing into this sequel. 

That being said, I overall enjoyed HB so much more. I thought the pacing was mostly great, the actual substance and details vs breathing room was balanced this time, and it really felt like coming back to a familiar world and familiar characters and learning to like them even more. 

My biggest problem with this book (and this series I think) is just that while it’s so compelling and has all of the right ingredients, I can’t seem to form much of an emotional connection with the characters. I’m not sure why. I think Alex is mostly to blame. She’s a character who does a lot and has a lot of internal thinking, but I think her feelings/emotions are told more than they’re shown. The end should have felt more like a climactic gut punch but it really just felt like one thing happening after another. You know the characters are feeling some kind of way, but it’s never entirely clear what. 

I also think that some of this book (mostly regarding the more adult themes such as drug use and sexual assault and sex) feels a bit contrived. It never feels like it’s a natural integration into the story, but someone who usually writes YA playing pretend with it to spice up the book. Leigh is a fantastic writer so I can’t say why these parts in particular feel so contrived, but they just do. 

I do love Darlington and I love everything that happens with him especially near the end of this book. I’m invested in him and I want to see what happens with him and Alex. I would love for the last book to actually show the emotional resonance and attachment they have to one another because even though I’m told they are attracted to each other and they now have certain things binding them, the feelings don’t really appear to be one of them.

I don’t know! I just want there to be more feelings infused into this story. Romantic and platonic. There’s a found family happening here but I don’t feel the warmth I usually feel with literary found families. And I know Leigh is good at feelings bc she has written characters with plenty of heart in the past! So I’m slightly confused why it feels blocked in this series in particular. 

Overall though, really cool components and I’m just so into [redacted] Darlington. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Animal death, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse

sabmanosa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed this book a lot. The first book took a while for me to warm up to, because of the timeline, setting, and general vibe was so different from her Grishaverse novels that I was a bit put off. This book was a lot easier to fall into, and it had me captivated from the first chapter. 

I didn't expect a lot of the twists and turns, and I enjoyed working through it, and figuring things out with Alex. The story was very satisfying, and left me excited for the next part of the series! 
Something about the way she writes just draws me in - I think it's because she creates very human characters who are put in very inhuman situations. Definitely recommend this series (and anything by her really) for people looking for very dark "YA" (heavy emphasis on the A) type books.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Torture, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Addiction

Minor: Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

tltorrez's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Even better than the first. So many twists and turns but in the end every piece of the puzzle fit perfectly. I love Bardugo’s characters - flawed but every one acting true to themselves. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Death, Vomit, Animal death, Addiction, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, and Classism

northboundreader's review against another edition

dark 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Dementia, Drug use, Physical abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Torture, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Addiction, Alcohol, Police brutality, Blood, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Grief, Violence, Gun violence, and Kidnapping

ardhyahayu's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

I love reading about heist which required unlikely crews determined to get the job done, get attached to each other in witty banters and form a bond like found family

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Torture, Violence, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Cannibalism, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, and Sexual harassment

Detail on nudity

malissac's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Drug abuse, Grief, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, and Death

Minor: Mental illness

dodgeremerson's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious 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

4.5

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Animal cruelty, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Excrement, Animal death, Death of parent, Gore, Violence, Cursing, Abandonment, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Addiction, and Alcohol

Minor: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Rape, Torture, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization