Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Vremea disprețului by Andrzej Sapkowski

10 reviews

moosethemoose's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

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

3.25

i think i’m witchered out for a bit. this book was a whole lot of stuff and oh boy 

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Content Warnings

Minor: War, Violence, Sexual assault, Vomit, Rape, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and Kidnapping

belladonnashrike's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.5

this is definitely my favorite one so far, but I wish there was more written about geralt & ciri’s relationship. I know these characters so well because of the show & what I know about the game, but I feel that their relationship isn’t very fleshed out in what I’ve read so far, even though it’s obvious they care for each other and are a family (including yennefer. yen & geralt’s and yen & ciri’s relationships are clearly defined and have been a focus so far, but I don’t feel the same has happened for geralt & ciri.) perhaps I’ve missed it but I just find it a bit odd. hopefully there’s more with those two in particular in the following books. I still loved this though 

also… why there isn’t a single map in any of these books is BEYOND me. smh 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, War, Blood, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual violence, Body horror, Rape, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Sexual assault

Minor: Slavery, Cursing, and Torture

graceless_grace's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Gore, and Rape

Moderate: Kidnapping, Racism, Slavery, and Torture

stephen_welch93's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.75

The writing style is interesting. A lot of the action happens on the periphery of the narrative. That makes the world feel very alive. A lot happens away from the main characters. But that also makes it very complicated and difficult to keep track of what’s happening. The cast of characters is also very large, so keeping everyone straight can be tough. The plot is interesting and the characters are cool. I definitely want to know what happens next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Suicide, Gore, Murder, and War

Moderate: Rape, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, Xenophobia, Animal death, Torture, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, and Cursing

Minor: Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Self harm, Cannibalism, Genocide, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

greciamj1958's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, Grief, Violence, Torture, Kidnapping, Death, and Sexism

tilo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

Wie immer: Unglaublich gute Fantasy und die Story ist fesselnd.
Besonders spannend finde ich nach wie vor wie facettenreich die Charaktere sind, denn hier kommen so viele verschiedene Motive aufeinander, Gruppierungen mit unterschiedlichsten Interessen und trotzdem hat jeder mit jedem irgendwie zu tun, wodurch ein faszinierendes Netz gespannt wurde.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Sexism, Sexual assault, Rape, Death, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Murder

Moderate: Racism, Torture, and War

Minor: Grief, Slavery, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Alcohol, Ableism, Cursing, and Vomit

gameoftomes's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

3.25 / 5 stars
Very harsh, a lot of players in the game without the needed characterizations or backstories. But I’m a lover of YA fantasy, which is frequently character-driven. 

I understand that in Ciri’s precarious position late in the book that there is a realistic threat of rape. But having Mistle save Ciri from being assaulted only to then have it be very unclear as to Ciri’s consent is too much for me. The text disgusts me: “a warm and wet well of resignation and helpless submissiveness. A disgusting and humiliatingly pleasant submissiveness.” I’m not sure if things were lost in translation, or if that is what the writer considers female consent is. It’s especially disturbing because Ciri is 14 and frequently described as being not far from childhood. I know she’s dealt with a lot in terms of survival and war. I know she’s been trained in violence and combat by witchers. But the unclear consent and circumstances surrounding it just doesn’t feel right. There’s no romance, no lust. Ciri’s not an adult, not in a position of power, barely in a position of safety, and the text quickly moves on from it, showing Ciri being tender with Mistle and being a full member of the gang.

There are a lot of great plot twists and switching allegiances before that. Unfortunately I feel like there isn’t as much of a story payoff as there could be, considering the reader gets very little detail and characterization of the key players beforehand. I think the Netflix adaptation of these storylines could greatly improve upon this narrative and give the viewer a satisfying, thrilling, and enthralling watching experience. Fingers crossed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, Animal death, Misogyny, War, and Kidnapping

Minor: Grief, Sexual violence, Suicide, Cursing, Trafficking, Vomit, War, Rape, and Torture

bailey1196's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Death

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and War

catriona99674's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-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

3.0

This is definitely my least favourite of the Witcher books so far. It felt like mostly exposition. The random POVs made the pacing odd and it ended in a very strange place. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, and Torture

rachaelbunny's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Cursing, Xenophobia, Violence, Torture, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Racism, Physical abuse, and Genocide