Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

7 reviews

savage_book_review's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

3.5

As with my 'Throne of Glass' listen, I do think I got more out of the physical book (which I have reviewed previously) - my reading pace means I can work my way through the plot quickly and keep things moving, but listening at a predetermined speed means this feels a lot slower. This one is also a LOT of worldbuilding and set up for the main story arc, and this early on there are a lot of unanswered questions, which also drags the narrative down.

I'll say it now; I don't really get all the shade people throw at Chaol. No, he isn't my favourite character, but I get the sense that he genuinely just wants to do the right thing for his country, himself and his friends. He may not always achieve the desired result, but it's not him being malicious, it's just how he's wired. The audiobook for me only reinforces this view. 

I appreciate that the 'reveal' in this doesn't come as a surprise to me as this was a reread, but if it was I think I'd have had a bigger reaction to it by reading the physical book. The narration is as good as ever, but there's just something about this section that falls a bit flat for me - it doesn't give me that heightened heartbeat or that build up and crash of a wave that should come from a big moment. 

In accordance with SJM's instructions, Assassin's Blade is up next.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and War

noerlund's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.5

I really liked this one! A lot better than book number one! It’s like the story is really taking off now. Looking forward to read the next one! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content

cait's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

emsavors's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

faduma's review against another edition

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

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

nerdkitten's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Xenophobia, Medical content, and Kidnapping

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Trafficking, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, and Deportation

shejustwantstodance's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation