Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Crooked Kingdom, by Leigh Bardugo

9 reviews

serendipity421's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Gun violence, Injury/injury detail, Police brutality, Violence, Blood, and Body horror

deerlybeloved's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

If I could rate it any higher, I would.

Crooked Kingdom is a phenomenal sequel to Six of Crows, leaving the reader antsy and waiting, on the edge of their seat with every new twist and turn. Every revealed detail, paid off foreshadowing, character interaction, and planned event leaves you in a new bout of stunned silence as you listen, tense and wanting to know more.

Each character is unique, and fleshed out, meaning every chapter (each written from a different perspective) leaves you excited to learn more about that individual, and has its own personal bit of characterized flair that makes you excited to turn the page and learn who the next point-of-view is fore-- Matthias, Inej, Wylan? You just have to find out, sleep be damned.

So much weaves together to form a plot where just as one issue is resolved, you remember that ah, that's right, three chapters earlier that other plot point was introduced, and all of a sudden it's coming back-- You can't believe you forgot, but how could you not when the fate of the world was being handled first?!

The end will break your heart, as much as it heals it, giving you as many tears as it does grins as you flip through the ending chapters and realize just how much has been lost...and how much is being rebuilt.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Murder, Injury/injury detail, Gun violence, Confinement, Chronic illness, Torture, Religious bigotry, Drug abuse, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Drug use, Xenophobia, Violence, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Grief, Blood, Addiction, and Child abuse

Moderate: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Murder, Hate crime, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Injury/injury detail, Rape, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Ableism, and Forced institutionalization

Inej, one of the main characters, has a backstory HEAVILY rooted in discussion of pedophilia, child trafficking, sex trafficking, slavery, sexual slavery, rape, sexual abuse, kidnapping, and so much more. While handled with beautiful tact and insight, the depictions of flashbacks and Inej's feelings of these things can comfort survivors of similar things as much as it destroys us. Go with caution. As well, religious bigotry, ableism, trauma, emotional neglect, horrid things happening to children, war, racial fetishization, and so much more is dealt with in tactful ways, but ever presently used as reminders that the world is as imperfect and dark as it is beautiful.

glen3's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Death

Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Cursing, Murder, Police brutality, Violence, Religious bigotry, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, War, Kidnapping, Classism, and Racism

purplehulk713's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Truly compelling and masterfully crafted, Leigh Bardugo is truly a Grisha, a Corporalki able to both rend and heal your heart with her cruel and beautiful tales. My friend Alice was so right to keep insisting that I read this series. As much as I hate Kaz, he is wonderfully written, Inej is epic, Jesper is hilarious and precise, Nina is witty and pragmatic, Matthias is gorgeous and admirable in his change of heart which made his fate all the more lamentable, and Wylan is adorable and his struggles of character and family are fascinating. I find this book was even better than the first with all of its swerving twists and triumphant victories coming from the most downtrodden individuals in all of Kerch. Inej’s reunion at the end Gad me close to tears and the development of Nina’s unique power was eerie and fascinating. Leigh Bardugo is a master of her own Small Science—the manipulation of words for her own incredible manifestations! When you can’t beat the odds, change the game.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence

Some of it is graphic but I couldn’t recall if all of them were so I thought better safe than sorry.

oliverreeds's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence

elthechameleon's review against another edition

adventurous funny 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

4.75

This book is easy to get lost in. It has the classic found family trope, but the plot twists are so well structured and planned that it keeps you on your toes the entire story.

Spoiler

Matthias’ death was crushing, but does this promise to change drüskelle ways mean another book for Nina? Or another book for Inej and Kaz finally taking down slavers and swindlers? And how incredible to see the fearless couple develop so thoughtfully, carefully…the ending with Inej threatening Pekka and Kaz finding her parents reminded me that these two always find small ways to show love, even if the other doesn’t know it.

The overarching narrative of struggle and sins was artfully done. The investigating quotation is: How does one forgive after such acts? A good takeaway message with thrills and adventures. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Violence, Abandonment, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual assault

Minor: Ableism

safety_pin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, War, Slavery, Medical content, and Kidnapping

Minor: Police brutality

fairytaleriots's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Addiction, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Trafficking, and Sexual violence

Minor: Animal cruelty, Police brutality, and Slavery

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

5.0

Round two, just as good the second time! I think Bardugo's writing just gets so much better with this duology. I loved the twists and turns in this one, and the emotions! Ugh. I loved it. 

Okay, Wylan and Jesper are probably my favorites in this. Also, I think I liked this one better than Six of Crows. It was so twisty and emotional and fantastic. I definitely understand the hype better, now! It was a whirlwind of a read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Violence

Moderate: Drug use, Murder, Racism, and Trafficking