Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Winterkeep

Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

saltydough's review

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I've been reading the Graceling books since I was young, and I really enjoyed finding myself back in that world again. Kristin Cashore is undeniably a very good writer and creates carefully thought-through plots with lots of focus on the characters' thoughts and feelings. That being said, this is not my favorite or hers, which could also be down to the fact that I'm no longer within the target age range. I felt that the multiple POVs didn't work very well because she Cashore didn't change her writing style, or the character's thoughts, enough for each one to be distinctive. In such a character-focused story, switching from one to the other is almost counter-productive because we never stay in anyone's head long enough to feel truly connected to their POV. I was also a bit disappointed by Giddon and Bitterblue's romance. Though I think those characters do have chemistry when they're on the page together, it was annoying that when they were apart, every other sentence would be about how Bitterblue would've loved this or Giddin would've done that, and so on. I get that Cashore was trying to create that pining, but it just didn't work for me.

I do think this is a really fun and entertaining book, though, and I appreciated the allegory about climate change. Would recommend!

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darth_twain's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.5

If you are a fan of other YA fantasy novels, then you will enjoy the story of this book. Be aware of adult content that is not appropriate for young readers. I enjoyed the story but will be throwing the book away before I have children of my own who could stumble across this book and read adult content slipped into a YA story.

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lumberelk's review

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challenging mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

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melplays9000's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

This book just came at the perfect time for me. I haven’t really been loving what I’m reading lately and this book broke that cycle for me. I loved following familiar characters but with some new ones in there also, they showed genuine, real and raw emotions throughout the story and they just felt like they could be real people. I was so invested in the story and found myself thinking about this book even when I wasn’t reading it. And of course Kristin Cashore delivered as always, this book is once again super sex positive and shows it all from birth control to the struggle for emotional attachments in a way that is real and needs to be spoken about more in YA.

I must say however that the beginning of this book did feel a little rushed to me. There wasn’t much time to get back into the characters and the world before we were thrust right into the main plot. Saying that, the series as a whole doesn’t really have a overarching plot, which I also find a little strange. Each book has its own plot which is just the characters reacting to what is happening to and around them. I’m not sure this is something I specifically don’t like, just an observation which I’m not sure how I feel about.

Overall this book was exactly what I wanted and needed it to be at the time I read it. I definitely need to read more fantasy and more series because clearly that’s what I like best. 5 stars.

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estrohbeck's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny sad 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

4.0

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alexander_pendragon's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

currently I can't remember enjoying a book this much

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leahjanespeare's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

SPOILERS FOR BITTERBLUE (the book) For real. Do not proceed if you have not read it. So read it pronto and I'll see you afterward.

Wow, where do I even begin? I waited 10 years for this book (as I had an arc of Bitterblue), 5 more months until I read it after purchasing it on release day due to extreme anxiety that I wouldn't like it, and then I read all 520 pages in a day and a half. My mind is whirling. Let the book depression sink in.

How do I sort out my thoughts?

Bitterblue: Yes, yes. I kinda hated Bitterblue in her own book. ...well, no. I hated that she didn't get her 'guy' at the end. And she was very naive and annoying. And the book Bitterblue was entirely different from the first two books. Anyway, part of my hesitation to begin this book was my dislike for that one. BUT leading up to the Winterkeep release, I reread Graceling and Fire (for the upteenth time) and also Bitterblue for the first time since 2012, and guess what? I didn't hate Bitterblue anymore. I am not sure why, maybe because I matured and wasn't ready for her story the first time around? This series has always been an adult crossover audience in my opinion, and I certainly wasn't an adult in 2012. Now, it was nice to reconnect with her, and I have a new appreciation for her as a person. Bitterblue didn't have a super active role in this book as a whole for REASONS which actually made me kind of sad, but she already had a lot of her story told, so it was time to share the screen.

Giddon: Oh, my heart. How I loved getting Giddon's pov in this book. I didn't really think twice about him in Bitterblue, just that he was mopey about not winning Katsa's heart. But I am so glad his story continued, you can see he's matured these past 13 years since we first met him in Graceling. In fact, since time passed in the books alongside the real world, his growth feels all the more real to me since I've grown too. His devotion and true heart run deep, and I teared up a number of times hearing his internal dialogue and sentiments. Such a wonderful fellow.

Lovisa: Lovisa is the new main human character that shares the page with Bitterblue and Giddon. I will admit, it took me a long time to warm up to her. She is harsh, damaged, traumatised. She has an interesting relationship with sex and affection. The darker themes in this book (suicide idealation, abuse, neglect) mostly revolve around her, and it's a bumpy ride. Her character itself portrays a painfully realistic and complicated picture of a young woman who needs help to find her own strength within. So, acknowledge her complexities, do not judge her, and be amazed at her story.

The villains: Remember Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter from His Dark Materials? Yeah, the Cavenda parents make those two look like inept schoolchildren. Their pure manipulative talent is horrifying and yet all too possible to imagine. I can't say a whole lot without spoiling things, but trust me, whatever you initially think of the two: it's much, much worse.

The foxes! The blue foxes. It's been a while since I've come across a fictional creature that intrigued and terrified me like these foxes. What a creative creation to introduce into this world, and I am excited to explore them in (hopefully??) future books. They were the icing on the creepy cake that was Winterkeep as a whole and it wouldn't have been the same without them.

Overall, this fantasy world is arguably one of the best I've ever read and that has been constructed. It's also a queernormative world. Within it live complicated and terrible and wonderful people but never is sexuality a remote plotpoint or notable mention for any of them. There is magic, monsters, miracles. The inhabitants of the world itself are still learning about other areas and different kinds of people, with different beliefs and customs. It's dangerous (the monsters), sex positive (no slut shaming), and exciting. I really can't express my love enough.

Winterkeep was worth the ten year wait and I am ready to wait patiently another ten years for more.

Content Warnings