Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Tankeläsaren by Kristin Cashore

60 reviews

screeching_panda's review against another edition

adventurous tense fast-paced

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

3.25

This 2008 book did not age well, but a necessary evil to influence the tough girls in fantasy.

Katsa is not like other girls. She's tough, has different eye colors, and was born to kill ever since she accidentally killed a pervert. It was exhausting to listen to her compare her to her comrades and horse, and how they won't push on because they need to do silly things like rest and eat while she can survive off of just a few hours. And on the topic of the horse? Poor animal doesn't get a name, but Katsa forces it through snow and uses it as a battering ram.

At one point, Katsa and Po, the love interest, protect a child and they play family. It was a weird dynamic to bring Katsa and Po together, but fails to make Katsa seem compassionate. 

The plot twist of Katsa's real power was kind of interesting, but the villian  was pretty obvious.

Youre telling me the guy with the eyepatch, a disguise to hide his mismatched eyes, is a Graceling? *shocked pikachu face*

 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal cruelty and War

jselliot's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

The first book of this series is just the best (though I'll grant that Bitterblue is a close runner-up - have not read the fourth book that was recently released yet). The main character is fleshed out well, if a little counter-culture defined by genre expectations of the time, and even the side characters beyond the love interest are equally well developed. I also found the magical system, Grace, interesting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse and Emotional abuse

Minor: Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual content

mmefish's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

I loved the first part: slowly progressing relationship between Katsa and Po, the tenderness and understanding—that was just great. But the second half dragged: it focuses more on the plot that is very straightforward and isn’t the strongest part of the book.
I love Po and like Katsa, but the villain wasn’t developed at all. Bitterblue’s character (what a ridiculous name), in turn, is not believable—she’s 10 but speaks like an adult.
I’m not crazy about the anti-marriage message, though it is an interesting take for YA.

Overall, it’s OK. It made a better romance book than a fantasy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Sexual content

jmusil44's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death and Animal cruelty

cepbreed's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.0

I will be honest I had low expectations and this book met them. It’s standard YA fantasy so how can I complain when I picked this up fully knowing what it was! A redeeming moment though happened when we learn

Po was blinded in his failed assassination plot on King Leck. It was a great twist to go along with his grace that continued to develop throughout the story.

Speaking of graces the power system in its entirety could be more clear. There are hardly any ground rules and powers vary so drastically it’s confusing. Maybe it’s meant to be convoluted? The book is too long yet some core scenes were lacking in detail while minor unimportant ones were fleshed out in pages. I have a neurosis about series though so I will be finishing it to satisfy my self.

Song: 

• Don’t Blame Me - Taylor Swift 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty

Minor: Sexual content and War

carleesi's review against another edition

4.5

I loved the world and the magic of the Graces. The characters were wonderful and the creation of a villain without the need for specific graphic descriptions of his violence was refreshing to read.

I wish there’d been more female characters - in the beginning Katsa was giving me “not like other girls” vibes. 

The ending is great and makes some amends for the lack of female characters in the story. I loved the challenging of heteronormative expectations as well - having a female protagonist who doesn’t want kids or care about marriage will always grab my heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Ableism and Animal cruelty

Minor: Sexual violence

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content, Ableism, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence

Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Grief, Misogyny, Vomit, Outing, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Torture

ducklingh's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

One of the best books I've read in a while. I loved it! The author did a great job of getting the reader to realize the plot twists as the characters did. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gaslighting, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Incest, and Death of parent

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

the main character has numerous fight scenes which are detailed, but not overly gorey, main character is forced to hurt innocent(ish) people,

the main villain is very heavily implied to be a pedophile who wants to rape his 10 year old daughter and who raped a 10 year old servant to get to his wife - not graphic, in fact if a child were to read this they might not know what is going on

robin_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

For the story alone I’d give it 4.5 stars but Po adds the .5 star. We love a wonderful, intelligent, understand and smart, dark haired Prince 💜

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Emotional abuse

Minor: Vomit

zngzag's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Gaslighting

Moderate: Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Child abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death