Reviews tagging 'Abortion'

Fire and Blood: A History of the Targaryen Kings from Aegon the Conqueror to Aegon III by George R.R. Martin, Doug Wheatley

6 reviews

ronan_lesh's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and War

Moderate: Child death, Rape, and Torture

Minor: Abortion

hkuhlman7's review against another edition

dark funny informative slow-paced

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

3.5

This book should only be read by: 

1. History nerds who are burnt out from actual history and want something a little spicy. With dragons. And incest.
2. ASOIAF nerds. Like totally-and-utterly-enslaved-by-Westeros-and-George RR Martin-level nerds.

That’s it. If you’re an ASOIAF fan there is a completely reasonable chance this book will bore you and not feel worth your while by the end. If you’re a HOTD fan (at the time of writing, season 1 has aired in full but season 2 hasn’t begun airing) and need to know what happens next, buy this book but just read the Dance portion. Maybe try out the other parts but don’t anticipate being enraptured. 

Martin is an incredible writer, and I imagine this book was particularly fun for him to write. Evidently more-so than Winds. A fictional history book is a compelling concept, but I was only somewhat captivated throughout. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Abortion, and War

iammmartina_'s review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Infertility, Miscarriage, Torture, Kidnapping, Abortion, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Confinement and Medical content

orndal's review against another edition

adventurous challenging informative fast-paced

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

4.0

I still dont give a shit about pyke and the iron islands

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Incest, and Classism

Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War

Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism

dany_casimiro's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

A head-first fall into the history of the Targaryens, which is absolutely a chef's kiss.
In Fire & Blood, Martin has chosen the work of an Archmaester of the Citadel to narrate this story. In his turn, this man has used various sources at his disposal to provide an in-depth overview of the tensions, emotions, and political ties within House Targaryen. So, we get a third- or fourth-person account of the events. This leaves a lot of questions and blank spaces behind, which I deeply enjoyed and the current TV show is exploring masterfully.
One thing that this book addresses way better than ASOIAF is the incest between Targaryens and how it was dealt with by the Faith of the Seven in Westeros. Other aspects include a bigger focus on feminism and women's oppression in a medieval-inspired setting, as well as great care to show people's suffering. Yes, I'm thinking particularly of Good Queen Alysanne, but also of the Moon of the Kings in King's Landing.
About the Dance, I loved it. The final moments of certain characters are still a source of bitterness.

Rhaenyra and Damon died as heroes, but maybe too soon? I wanted more of them.

But the worst-best part was the Storming - it quickly became an emotional moment, twisting its knives into my poor heart.
In the end, Targaryens are the bringers of their own demise. Their greed and unmeasured ambition manage to take away everything they have

- including the very symbol of their power, dragons, which is unforgivable.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Sexual violence, Abortion, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Toxic relationship

harveyhorse321's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

Amazing. The whole book could and should be made into a series, not just the Dance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Gore, Incest, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Abortion, and Death of parent