Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington

4 reviews

1_800_fuck_off's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.75

in all its glory, this book should be a five-star read for me. the world-building, the story-telling, the plot, the writing style—all of it! amazing! i’d love to continue the series, and i will as soon as i find the time to go pick the rest of the books up, but i can’t shake off the feeling that there was something missing.

i think it had to do with the connections the characters shared with one another. something was lacking. i would read how they would feel, but i wasn’t able to connect with it. it didn't feel genuine, though i’m not sure why. perhaps because it appeared that a character would place less importance on a long-standing close friendship than on a recent romantic possibility? i have no idea. i still thought the characters were fantastic, though. they were all so charming in their own unique ways, and they all had such endearing traits.

the fact that the book's major plot twist was actually rather obvious toward the end of the book was another element that i felt was a little bit lacking. i'm not sure if that was the author's intention, but when it became clear that

caeden was tal'kamar

, i wasn't shocked, surprised, or even flabbergasted hehe. 

additionally, even though the book kept me entertained as i read it, it never really enthralled me, and i'm not sure why. this book fulfills every mark i enjoy in a high fantasy book featuring cisgender, heterosexual protagonists. nonetheless, i’m eager to get into the next two novels in the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting

there’s too many to remember im sorry these are just the main ones i do remember

nerdkitten's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Genocide, Self harm, Vomit, and Stalking

Minor: Ableism, Child death, Physical abuse, Rape, Excrement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Alcohol

lectora21's review against another edition

adventurous 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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: War

Minor: Bullying, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Vomit, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

iono's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Grief