Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

46 reviews

allmight's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Would have been a 5 star if not for the most insta insta-love ever

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence and Violence

belou's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious relaxing medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

kathrynleereads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

As a human, mysteries intrigue me. As a person who devoted years to the study of anthropology, mysteries of culture consume me. 

So a story about a city, mysterious from the beginning, but suddenly lost, disappeared from the world? It felt like magic to have stumbled upon it.

Right from the prologue, Strange the Dreamer grabbed my attention and refused to let go. 

The story, the characters, the settings, the dreams, they all just kept getting better and better. 

Watching the history of Weep unfold bit by bit in tiny little shards of knowledge was mesmerizing.

Other than the gods themselves, there were no characters that I didn’t like. 

The only two who came close were Minya and Thyon, but even the two of them weren’t evil, they just lacked compassion. 

And the dreams.

Laini Taylor’s writing truly encompasses and deserves the word “art.”

I have long wished that I could dive into the worlds I read about, and then there I was, reading about a world I wanted to dive into, and within that world they were doing the same thing.

The connection I felt to Lazlo and Sarai as they dove into dreams together and made their stories was one of the strongest I’ve ever felt with a character (or characters in this case). 

I’m both excited and terrified to learn where the story, and the unseen city of Weep itself, go from here.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, and Blood

Minor: Homophobia

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

beemailley's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

cosmicwillow's review against another edition

3.0

Definitely a fascinating world, but some of it drags for me and I think this book suffers from a bit of exoticism. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Sexual violence

stripedstone's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy

barefootbeauty99's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Classism

vespix's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

3.75

I love Laini Taylorʼs stories, if not her focus in telling them.

There's a fairy-tale quality to Strange the Dreamer, from whimsy and rich worldbuilding to very heavy topics used with very little care. (Seriously, mind your trigger warnings.) The plot is solid and — at least to me — felt unique in the manner of its telling. The writing style is occasionally too purple for my tastes, but not to the point it would detract from my enjoyment. 

The romance did all the detracting. There's so much gratuitous making out, it had me skimming (and I almost never do that) entire sections. Pages. That's how much there is, once it gets going. It messes up the pacing. It servers no purpose. There was literally an entire plot point lost in the telling because the mains had to make out instead. I suppose it would feel different for someone who likes these scenes, but for me they were a waste of a perfectly good story. So much worldbuilding waiting to dive deeper into, but it's all lips, twining threads and whatnot. 

I will read Muse, though the ending of Strange doesn't give me much hope that it's going to  focus back on the plot. Pity. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

lejuletre's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Abandonment