Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

76 reviews

elle_dee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious slow-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

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, and War

charlieash's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-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

katsa and po brought a deranged energy to this book. tackling each other and grappling in a fountain and screaming and crying and holding each other ... that's love baby!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Torture, and Death of parent

Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Rape

melplays9000's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

This was a solidly good book! I really loved how this installment tied together parts of the previous 2 books while still having a totally unique plot of its own which was separate from that. I loved seeing Bitterblue’s growth as a character throughout this book and I felt her journey in the book really was different from what this series has previously been in the best way. I also appreciate that Kristin Cashore does not shy away from the more unheard of topics in YA, for example periods and birth control. This was also present in this book and I think this is an excellent example of how these topics can be brought into a book without being the main focus. 

One thing that was a little too much for my small brain was just the amount of character. Each of them had their own subplot with their own motives all happening at the exact same time and I just felt very lost in certain moments and feel I may have missed some of the reveals just because of how much was going on. 

Overall this book was everything I hoped it would be. It, without problem, kept me entertained the entire time that I was reading it and I appreciate everything it did for me. 4.5 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, and Suicide

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury

alexander_pendragon's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Self harm, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Torture, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Child death, Animal cruelty, and Alcoholism

sophiareadswaytoomuch's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective 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

I loved this book the first time I read it (almost 10 years ago, when it came out in 2012) and I have to say it holds up. On a reread, it’s still one of the best stories I’ve ever read. The set up is a little slow, but the payoff is worth it. The mystery is well handled and intriguing, all the characters are well developed, and the plot itself really grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go. Cashore does a great job of building on the world and characters established in the earlier books. Bitterblue is one of my all time favourite characters. This book also has LGBT+ rep and it handles a bunch of mental health issues (resulting from trauma) in a way that feels realistic, sensitive, and nuanced. It explores the effects of a kingdom under the grip of a tyrant for five decades, and the lingering effects of that trauma. A fascinating and unique read. Could potentially be read as a stand alone, but the pay off is much better after reading the first two books in the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Rape

ken_mcmurdie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, and Sexual content

Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, Domestic abuse, Grief, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Sexual violence

strange's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad 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

4.75

I never thought my love for a book could grow so much on re-read— a great start to the year and one I hope will be reflected throughout. (May be 5 stars but I want to let it sit a while before deciding)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, and Suicide

Moderate: Torture, Self harm, Rape, and Pedophilia

neens_m's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Better than I expected. To tell the truth, I didn't know what to expect, considering that Bitterblue is neither monster nor graceling, but the book was great. Interesting love story. My favorite part was when all three of the heroines met each other. I was so excited to read it!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Self harm, and Violence

miniregrets's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Rape, and Suicide

Moderate: Self harm

nyssbomb's review

dark funny mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Torture