Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

9 reviews

oxian_d's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

This book was the first book I've read with eagerness and excitement to finish and read the next after hp, mazerunner and shadow & bone book series. It had been so long that I found all the good and interesting things in a book. The mystery, the drama, the history, the magic, the color of it all so enamored and intriguing for a YA book to read. 

It's more than a fantasy, more than a myth, it is magic and alchemy of words fused in this book. The book cover itself is fascinating and that's how I was drawn to it, from the cover to the title then unbeknownst to me it was a treasure to be held. I got emotionally entwined and time passed around me, but not so much as forgetting. It was strange like the character himself but beautifully strange in ways one would surmise otherworldly enthralling and captivatingly breathless that I finished in about a week. Really a masterful work, excitingly scary, heart wretching, breaking and maddeningly brilliant. It was poetic and magically made, never have I read a nov l like myth so beautifully wounded and bound. The ending is to be continued and I can't wait for more. Kudos to the author for seamlessly concocting magic, myth and science with grace. You truly are the weaver of alchemical words in music, color and dreams. 
Can't wait to read the next and more of your work. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

grets_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death of parent

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape and Pregnancy

carolined314's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

Enjoyed this one a lot, and also it really missed the mark with racism allegories and some odd depictions of trauma. I am also soooo tired of the magical orphan saving the day by being fancy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Xenophobia

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Rape, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy

nyree42's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

4.0

Beautifully written, magical and hopeful yet challenging and dark story about mysterious people with otherworldly and dangerous powers, and the city who fears them. Glad I read it when the second book is available to pick up immediately, since it ends on a cliffhanger.

On the negative side: 

Note that the adult/minor relationship tag refers to a 20-year-old in a romantic relationship with a 17-year-old, which I personally think is close enough in age to be acceptable in the world of this story, although other readers may not agree, as in our real world it seems rather sus for a 3rd year college student to be dating an 11th grader in high school.

There are also descriptions of a sexually active 15-year-old with their teenage lover, plus mentions of another young couple who are sleeping together. All the teenage sex, despite not being graphically described but only alluded to artistically, was rather off-putting because an adult writer should not be encouraging her adolescent readers to engage in sex - it leads to consequences like STDs/STIs, unwanted pregnancies, and emotions that are too complicated for most young people to understand.

This inevitably results in broken hearts and emotional trauma in the majority of cases, which then leads to some (or many) people having difficulty finding love as adults because their teen romances ripped a hole in their heart they've not been able to repair so far. For real, I know people in their 50s who still haven't recovered from their adolescent entanglements and that's why they are single today... and that's why their would-be partner is also single. These are consequences that resulted in the unhappiness of two people (much like Eril-Fane and Azareen in this book, although in their case they had no choice in the matter).

So if you're a teenager reading this review - don't be inspired by the exploits of the young lovers in this book, and instead wait until you're older to chase... "that." You'll have more of a chance to mature and develop so that you also meet somebody mature who can give you the true love you'll want to receive and give in return.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Sexual harassment, and War

traceyanderson's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious relaxing sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

bethy_joy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

sarah_cameron's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

A slow start but the characters were  interesting and well fleshed out. The last quarter was executed really well and brought my attention back to the book, excited to give the sequel a go! 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

hotpinkmess's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Pregnancy

cheyenne_rose's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

I really really love Laini Taylor. Her ability to worldbuild is so unique and incredible to experience. The characters? Beautiful. The emotions? Even better. And the style of writing? I was a hundred pages in before I even realized time had passed 😅 my one small issue is that she tends toward flowery language, and the result is usually beautiful and evocative and whimsical, but when it doesn't land, it ends up clunky and awkward. But that's rare, and overshadowed by everything else that's good about the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Gore and Rape

Minor: Bullying, Physical abuse, and Sexual content