Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

25 reviews

nabecker13's review

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Death of parent, Gore, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Colonisation, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Rape, Violence, and Forced institutionalization

vaguely_pink's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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 was pretty meh about Legendborn but HOOOOOOO BOY this was so good I’m foaming at the mouth for book 3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Violence

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, War, Death of parent, Grief, and Slavery

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Car accident, Abandonment, Medical content, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Rape, and Vomit

gabriella_'s review

dark emotional funny inspiring 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

This book has almost everything. Structures of oppression, intergenerational trauma, grief, romance, war, friendship conflicts, learned bigotry & privilege, and governmental conspiracy. It scratches any itch you have from Harry Potter, Maximum Ride, and The Hunger Games all rolled into one. Shit, it even satisfies the Warriors cat series fans too. It does all this will surpassing all of these series. Wish I had this when I was a younger, more voracious reader.

Tracy Deonn one-ups herself in this sequel book. This book further expands on characterizing her central cast while also giving other (more background) characters a chance in the limelight. She developed a core ensemble cast that feels compelling and stand-alone. This book made me cry, especially when

Spoiler

Bree talks with her mother

- Bloodmarked is raw and real. Bree is one of my favorite series protagonists I’ve ever read. She feels so real. I love reading about a protagonist who is strong, really strong, and in more than just a physical (or even girlboss) way. She has grit and emotional stamina and she’s navigating through systems rigged against her. 

More random things I love about this book that didn’t seem to have a place for me to write them in this review: 

• The rest of the cast - especially Selwyn - tugs at my heartstrings. 
• Tracy Deonn’s dream sequences are an amazing exploration of themes that are relevant later in the book and offer a refreshing way to engage with old magic.
• The descriptive settings!! 
• The use of LANGUAGE. Ugh. CARIAD!
• The men in this book have a “written by a woman” charm. Well, the men that matter do, at least.

I love the way this author lays the groundwork for future plot twists - she has a gift for finding a way to keep the reader on their toes without insulting their intelligence AND while still making the twists believable. Some you can see coming - but that’s a credit to her foreshadowing. 

I just want to keep gushing about this book because honestly it left me soooo hungry for the next book in this series!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Gore, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Slavery, Blood, Body horror, Death, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Grief, Physical abuse, Stalking, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Child death, Classism, Cultural appropriation, and Torture

siennakt30's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Sexism, Slavery, Abandonment, Cursing, Death, Medical content, Murder, Colonisation, Violence, War, Alcohol, Body horror, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Rape

smokeyphynix's review

adventurous challenging emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

This series is a breath of fresh air and I’m glad tiktok recommended it to me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Abandonment

shaipanda's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

This book was insaneee - I read it over a longer period than I probably would have otherwise since I read it mostly at work but I absolutely loved it and I cannot wait for the third and final one!! 
Truly one of the best series I’ve ever read and worth every bit of hype it’s gotten and more imo :) 
Is definitely a darker and more violent book/series at times tho so recommend checking trigger warnings 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Racism, Grief, and Kidnapping

Moderate: War, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Death, Rape, Torture, Toxic friendship, Slavery, and Murder

Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Abandonment

ayoung720's review

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

Another amazing entry in the series, I love how the world has opened up to the diverse forms of magic and comparing how they all view power and heritage. Sel has become a much more well-rounded character with a storyline beyond "brooding bodyguard who hates the protagonist" and Bree and her friends have really developed too. Bree does make some absolutely infuriating decisions throughout the book which made me want to reach through the page and shake sense into her, but that's the beauty of having a teenage protagonist trying to navigate their way through this new world - she will make mistakes and not know what to do, while we get to see her grow on that journey. I do wish the book hadn't ended on yet ANOTHER one of her dubious choices, especially because her status within the Legendborn society was already so in doubt before the final scene, but I'm very much excited for the following entry! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Abandonment, Violence, Toxic friendship, Racism, and Forced institutionalization

sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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

5.0

 Bloodmarked is book two in the Legendborn cycle by Tracy Deonn, and I would give it 6 stars if I could !

I really loved the commentary on racism and prejudice, it reminded me of (view spoiler) but for young adults.

My mind is racing with so many questions, because of course it ended on a cliff hanger. Which, I'm not mad about, I expected the cliff hanger because there's supposed to be at the least one more book in the cycle.

I'm not sure what else to say other than my friends and I are definitely team Sel, the last part ofthe book had us shook, and we can't wait for the next book in the cycle! It's so nice to buddy read books with a book club.

I give this 5 out of 5 stars!

I listened to this for free on Scribd

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Grief, Slavery, Murder, Racial slurs, Death, Body horror, Abandonment, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Racism, and Rape

unfxckwhittable's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious 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

Characters: 4.5

Plot: 3.0

Theme: 4.0

Cover: 5.0 

For as long as this book was, I just knew this would be a duology. I liked the first book better, although I enjoyed this story, it really didnt capture my interest until the last 1/3 of the book. I felt there was sooo much detail in the beginning where we are world building that it kept losing my attention. But after The Crossroads encounter when we are introduced to Mawlek, who I found very entertaining, I became invested. 

I loved the concept of Volition, a former site of grief, pain, and loss at the hands of colonizers reclaimed as a safe haven for those deemed worthy. Deonn masterfully describes racism within the institution of The Order along with unpacking the impacts of generational trauma. She captured the emotions tied to these topics perfectly. 
I am absolutely team Selwyn. Despite his fuck up in the beginning which has stained my image of him, I’m still rooting for him in book three, because his ending left me heartbroken. Bree consistently frustrated me with her selfishness and immaturity. She put her friends in danger or was too stubborn to see that she wasn’t always right. To include the deal she made in the end to develop her root powers. Hopefully in next book she grows up and gets it together. I’m excited for the next book and really hope it’s the last one in this series or at least isn’t as bulky in content, if it’s not the last. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Racism, Rape, and Slavery

chloerachelle's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Racism, War, Violence, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Death

Minor: Confinement, Murder, Car accident, Colonisation, Slavery, and Rape