Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan

8 reviews

mattiedancer's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

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

2.5

Writing: 2⭐️/5 

**SPOILERS**

This is a shorter book than several of the previous and yet it felt like one of the most tedious so far. Several times throughout the novel, Jordan would have paragraph-long descriptions that read like Wikipedia entries. Beyond the tedious sections, Jordan also left out most – if not all – of the most action-packed sequences in favour of revisiting them via flashback. Several times we join characters after something exciting happens, and are told about it in the character’s head, instead of just being allowed to experience the story altogether. This drew out the reading significantly. I will also never forgive RJ for not letting me see Nynaeve and Lan’s wedding.

I also, personally, felt the reluctance to say the word, “Rape” in rape scenes was a pointed choice that I don’t agree with. Also, knowing that RJ intended the Mat rape scene to be a “humourous role-reversal” really takes any unintentional realism he may have woven into that scene feel gross, unnecessary, and lacking compassion.

Characters: 2.25⭐️/5

Every RJ novel I read, I complain about how the characters never remain consistent. And, here we are again. At multiple instances, Elayne and Nynaeve’s names could have switched and it wouldn’t have mattered. In fact, the only characters who really retain their own personalities are Rand, Mat, and Perrin – though even they fluctuate to some extent. 

The characters have such fantastic potential and yet they cannot seem to remain consistent long enough to meet that potential. And, though there are 2700 named characters throughout this series, several of the more minor characters feel so unimportant the only purpose they seem to serve is to make the plot more confusing and convoluted.

Plot: 3.0⭐️/5 

The plot could have been more interesting, but there was no reason for anything to take as long as it did. This book – to achieve the necessary plot – could have lost a solid 100-200 pages and been a stronger, more interesting read. Some parts were definitely interesting, so elements were definitely engaging, but overall it fell kind of flat, and I spent most of the time wishing I got to see the fight between Perrin and Rand instead of two paragraphs on what a longboat is. 

Who Should Read This Book? 

• Those who read book one to five of The Wheel of Time and are able to overlook some misogyny

Content Warnings? 

• Toxic relationships, blood, gore, abuse, domestic abuse, war, sexual assault, rape, toxic friendships, gaslighting, misogyny, sexism, death, murder, injury, injury detail, sexual harassment, emotional abuse, slavery, 

Post-Reading Rating:  3.0⭐️/5

This one really didn’t have that amazing moment at the end. It was just okay. 

Final Rating: 2.5⭐️/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

missgarceau's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

This felt like a chore and I am really upset about the TW’s in it. Definitely check warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

wishbea's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Physical abuse

surdiablo's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.0

I have finally entered the infamous slog phase and it wasn't as bad as I expected, although the plot does considerably slow down quite a bit, even more than previous books. While it still has some clever entertaining moments, there's definitely a lot more unnecessary meandering as well, which made it hard to push through sometimes. There's also the introduction of various new characters and while most of them are intriguing enough, it also became a bit harder in my experience to keep track of everyone and everything, especially if you are taking it slow. After the amazing ending of Lord of Chaos, this book felt like it's a step below its predecessors overall and the climax was rather anticlimactic. However Rand still remains my favorite character so far, as I look forward to read his chapters more than anyone else's. Mat is getting better each book, and others are also growing further, with the exception of Perrin who seems to be in stasis. There's also some questionable moments that might be uncomfortable to read, like what happens between

Mat and Tylin

.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, and Slavery

Moderate: Death and Sexual assault

mightyola's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-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

4.0

Better than the previous book. Rand's storyline is still the least compelling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Slavery

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

karolinak's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse

Moderate: Rape

hay_elfkin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence

readandfindout's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

3.75

On first read (2015): 4 stars

2023 reread:

Overall rating: 3.75 stars

Style/writing: 3.5 stars
Themes: 3.5 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 3 stars
Worldbuilding: 4.5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Rape, and Sexual violence