Scan barcode
shinysylveon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
The entire premise of this book is Bitterblue navigating being Queen in the aftermath of her father’s tyrannical reign. How do you rule a kingdom where everyone is suffering from PTSD?
On paper, the concept seems cool. Instead of just a paragraph or a few pages summarizing “what happened after”, you get a full book. The problem with that is it’s boring. It felt like there was too much happening and therefore nothing got the focus it really deserved. But on that same note, it also felt like nothing was really happening? It’s very bizarre to describe.
It just didn’t feel like Bitterblue’s book, or her story. It felt like an epilogue to Katsa’s and Leck’s story. It felt like a side character fumbling around trying to figure out how to be a main character, while the actual main character is off having another adventure. Bitterblue was more intriguing as a child in Graceling, and even in the flashbacks than she is in present day.
Po was still fun in this for the most part. Katsa, however, was extremely annoying and immature. Though to be fair, immaturity is part of her character, it is just more acutely apparent without the aid of her internal monologue cushioning it. It also didn’t help that the Audiobook narrator gave her this weird Scottish accent that no one else has and that Katsa didn’t have in the original audiobook.
This was definitely riding off the coattails of the other two books. The parts about Leck and discovering all the horrible things he did were extremely interesting. Everything else? Meh. My original rating of 3 stars was super generous, changing it to 2 (which is still generous). Here’s hoping the next one is better.
Minor: Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Self harm, Torture, and Suicide
_rosy_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Murder and Mental illness
Minor: Self harm and Rape
ceceleininger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.75
Moderate: Suicide and Self harm
Minor: Rape, Torture, and Pedophilia
ksykes'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
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Rape, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Pedophilia, Alcoholism, and Murder
Minor: Blood
emmyhall's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Suicide and Murder
Moderate: Pedophilia, Suicide, Self harm, Rape, and Torture
readingrat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Self harm, Suicide, Death, Physical abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Blood, Sexual violence, Rape, and Violence
Minor: Trafficking, Addiction, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Alcoholism
lubotomy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Murder, Emotional abuse, Rape, Suicide attempt, Death, Violence, Suicide, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
talonsontypewriters'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
4.5
Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Violence, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pedophilia, Animal death, Rape, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Incest, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Self harm, Vomit, Xenophobia, Homophobia, and War
Human and animal experimentation. Strangulation/suffocation. Mind control, overriding/alteration of will (mostly discussed/aftermath). Abuse and sexual violence, including of children, are described frankly, but not extremely actively or graphically depicted on-page.espressoreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Suicide, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, and Death of parent
bencaroline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Murder, Violence, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, War, Self harm, Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol and Vomit