Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou

12 reviews

nikki_flowers'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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, and Death of parent

maria_vermisoglou's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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

4.0

A good start to the series!

First of all, let me say it was fascinating just because it was about the Fates. Set in a magical world where humans and demigod co-exist, the author weaves an interesting tale. I loved the main character and her transformation from a timid girl to a woman who would do anything for the truth, cutting the threads that bind with the people most dear to her. There were some issues at the beginning of the book that made it hard to get into it, but overall I liked the story and can't wait to read the next one.
P.S.: The ending? Totally not expecting it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Murder

takarakei'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

• Descendants of lost gods
• Mythology elements 
• Fated mates
• A prophecy 
• Mystery
• Sister dynamics
• Non-binary & queer side characters 

The I guess you’d call it “magic system” is cool, there are “other-born” people who are descendants of the Greek Fates (gods) who have special powers. Io and her sisters are Moira-born, descendants of Moirae the goddess of Fate, and can see/manipulate threads that tie every person to the things/people/places they love.

I found the world building beyond the descriptions of the other-born powers to be a little confusing or incomplete. I didn’t really get a sense for time period and there was no map or great description of the city this story takes place in. There were other cities or countries(?) that were mentioned, but it was had to understand how they all related in the larger world. And as there are some political things going on, it would’ve been helpful to understand that context. I think that’s the main struggle I had with this book.

It’s not necessarily slow to start, but I didn’t really get fully engaged in the story until the second half. It did have a strong ending and I will likely listen to the sequel.

I did do combination audio and physical. The audio was fine - nothing spectacular but not bad.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, and Murder

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abortion and Death of parent

Animal cruelty/death: there is an animal fighting ring of some world specific character called chimerini. It’s about 1-2 pages and I just skipped over it

lbelow's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense

5.0

An excellent book. Rich in magic and a plot full of twists in a world it feels like you can live and breathe. I can't wait for the next book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Police brutality, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Animal cruelty, Genocide, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Alcohol

rightwhrleftme's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail

frantically's review against another edition

adventurous 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? No

4.5

This one hit all the marks for me — greek myth inspired, poc mc's, difficult sibling relationships and so much moral greyness, you can barely see the light.

There is so much obvious love and history poured into this book and I'm so glad to read a book about Greek mythology that is written by an actual Greek author, totally changed the game for me.

The magic system is so fascinating and with the ending, it seems like we're just going to get even more of it in the next book. 

Love, love, LOVE Edei and Io's relationship so so much 😭 truly my babies

So excited for the next book already 🫶🏻

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Genocide, Police brutality, Grief, and War

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, and Death of parent

kell_xavi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

4.0

Exciting, original, fantastic debut novel set in a coastal fantasy city where human descendants of Greek deities—otherborn—can wield unique powers, but are marginalized in their society. The setting is a complex web of gang-ruled territory, a police initiative to use otherborn as soldiers, and suspicious deaths by women who are nor quite alive. 

Io is a winning character who half-willingly pairs up with Edei to investigate, and ends up in a good deal of trouble with a lot of buried things rising up to haunt her, her family, and the city of Elante. 

A few places closer to the beginning come across as contrived and confused,where Io doesn’t investigate things it seems she would want to, or where her anxiety didn’t move naturally, or in how she thinks and speaks. And it ends on a blasted cliffhanger! But otherwise, this is a wonderful book, and I look forward to the sequel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Police brutality, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty and Classism

mattiedancer's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.25

Writing: 4.25⭐️/5 

The writing shone in certain sections. I particularly loved the way Hatzopoulou described and wrote about the threads. I also thought she commanded good control of her language while describing action and combat, leaving the actions clear. A few sections of the novel fell victim to a bit of a rushed feeling, but most of it was paced well with good control. 

Characters: 4.25⭐️/5

I really loved Io. She maintained her strength without paying to the conventions of the “strong badass female protagonist.” I liked that she fought against her sister’s description and prescriptions of her and paved her own path. And, I really loved her reaction to her fate string. I loved how she kept her secret to herself and how both characters eventually gave into the determination of the string. Honestly, the characters were just deeply written and still fun to read about.

Plot: 4.25⭐️/5 

Ah, a world in which fates are reborn and the threads that bind us remain visible to some. I loved it deeply, especially as it wove into a mystery novel, with Io and Edei investigating together in a world where magic and myths come to life. I think the end was a bit rushed, and the cliffhanger did feel a bit sudden, a bit forced, but overall, it was lots of fun to read.

Who Should Read This Book? 

• Fans of young adult fantasy
• Readers looking for a fantasy read with mystery vibes
• Readers looking for a solid book in a fantasy world
• Fans of Greek mythology reimaginings

Content Warnings? 

• Death, murder, genocide, war, blood, gore, grief, gaslighting, emotional abuse, animal cruelty, violence, injury, injury detail, death of parent, confinement, transphobia, 

Post-Reading Rating:  5⭐️/5

Would read the next one.

Final Rating: 4.25⭐️/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail

eni_iilorak's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Genocide, Gore, Racism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Confinement, Deadnaming, Infidelity, Abortion, and Death of parent

sarenac's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death