Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden

15 reviews

carlybomarly's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

This is not just a pretty cover! 

The world building is just right, the magical system is easy to follow, and there’s a map! 

Gotta love when there’s a curse that fits specifically with the lore - “bleeding stones” fits the mood and world well. 

Full of my favorite tropes:

⚔️Romantasy

⚔️Enemies to Lovers

⚔️Stabby FMC

⚔️He falls first 

⚔️Slooooooooow burn

⚔️Dragons, shifters, and Fae, oh my!

Arwen is caught by enemy forces when trying to make sure her family has what they need. She suddenly finds herself working as a healer for the king her country is at war with. She has power that she doesn’t understand and has never pressed the boundaries of.  

The mysterious stranger in the dungeons with Arwen who quickly becomes someone she is drawn to. 

We learn more about Kane - possibly our new favorite shadow daddy, how strong Arwen already is, how strong she could grow to become, a prophecy that has all the key players on edge, some friends became family while others became enemies, and what it’s going to take to do the right thing OR just burn the whole world down. 

I could not get to book 2 fast enough! Keep in mind - this book is not very spicy, 🌶️ but it’s coming! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, and War

Moderate: Physical abuse and Murder

Minor: Kidnapping

doahdancer's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.25

Light reading with an enjoyable enough plot and characters. Nothing remarkable here, good or bad.

Writing was a bit stilted and characters were underdeveloped but perfect if you're looking for something casual that won't cause too much stress.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

chellekjones's review against another edition

This was a recommend book via booktok. While reading I had oddest feeling that there were words on the page but that they had no depth. Like it was a written under compulsion. 

I couldn't get into it and decided between that and the flimsy FMC (seemingly loved her home and also hated it? no backbone, easily duped) it wasn't worth it for me to continue. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

maddiegkd's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse and Physical abuse

gracemegredy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-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

3.5

This is a very run of the mill romantasy to me. The “enemies to lovers” as it is marketed is really immediate attraction to mistrust trope-in my opinion-but the tension between the main characters is still believable and exciting. Overall, there was almost nothing in the book that surprised me or that I didn’t see coming, but I liked it and will probably continue the series nonetheless. If you’re a sucker for a basic romantasy like me, this is that. 

It's a classic case of gorgeous virginal girl who thinks she’s worthless (but, spoiler! she’s actually the most powerful being alive- who would have guessed?) meets dark and brooding stranger (who, spoiler! is actually the not-so-evil fae king of the not-so-evil kingdom she’s been raised to fear and hate). He is instantly obsessed with her and she pretends she’s not drooling over him for a few hundred pages and then riiiiight when they get together she finds out he was hiding one last secret :( I’m personally not a fan of the virgin girl x 200 year old womanizer trope, but in romantasy it’s hard to avoid.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Death, Gore, and Sexual content

Minor: Physical abuse

titandancer21's review against another edition

adventurous 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Physical abuse and Sexual assault

rileydobereading's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Moderate: Rape, Violence, and War

Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

kristannereads's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Physical abuse

memoirsofabooklover's review against another edition

adventurous funny tense 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? No

4.75

i loved this book. the world building sucked me in but wasn’t too complex as to leave me confused for the first half of the book. really interesting layers of unanswered questions throughout. i loved the mcs and their banter and all the twists (many i saw coning but still loved them). the tension was brilliant

(albeit slightly annoying as there was no release in the book) but it should make the eventual completion of a spice scene very rewarding.

i loved the beauty of the world, as well as the integrated mythology. thoroughly enjoyed, but not sure what i’m supposed to do with myself now whilst i wait for the next book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Medical content, Kidnapping, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Rape, Torture, Vomit, and Alcohol

nmonzyk's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

Every fantasy romance trope you’ve read tossed up and served like a salad. I finished it, but barely. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Physical abuse