Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

55 reviews

bean_7088's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny inspiring tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

That was fun. Loved it. 
I also loved that even though Kell was supposed to be 21, the narrator read him like an gruff 50 yead old man and it was fun. 

I really hope nothing romantic develops between Kell and Lilah in later books, I like them being friends. 

I'm learning this is my kind of book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Torture, Slavery, Gun violence, Confinement, and Body horror

It's got magic possession and that leads to some fucked up stuff.

bessadams's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexism, Murder, and Death

yananhai's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

3.5

are you telling me that I read almost 400 pages, most of which had zero plot, only for everything to be solved

Spoiler

by one single magical word for dispelled?! 🙄

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Self harm, Violence, Gun violence, and Kidnapping

Minor: Murder

knunderb's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

4.0

A bit slow to get going, but the final third was jam packed with action. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Sexual violence

baearles's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Blood, and Self harm

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Gun violence

Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, Torture, Cannibalism, and Cursing

moonchild_cos's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Violence, Body horror, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence, Gore, and Self harm

Minor: Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Torture, and Sexual harassment

atamano's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexism, Violence, Confinement, Grief, and Xenophobia

zoeelora's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Self harm

Moderate: Alcohol, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual content, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Sexual harassment, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Abandonment, Addiction, Child death, Child abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Misogyny, and Violence

brotestantethic's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.75

Schwab always enchants with her writing. I have to say this was my least favorite of hers so far, after having read Vicious and The Invisible Life. But solid. Characters are really lovely, world building is stunning. My issues lie with pacing: the book starts off slow, and the ending is rushed. I am definitely still interested in continuing the series.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Violence, and Gun violence

olenvasynyt's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

This book is everything I have been looking for in a fantasy story.  I feel like the best way to describe this book was a really good dungeons and dragons campaign.  Not only is the writing fantastic, but the worldbuilding and the magic system are both comfortingly familiar and totally unique at the same time.  The magic involves traveling across worlds, spoken words and the bending of elements, and it’s done well because of the restrictions and the different amounts of magic for every person and every world.  It adds to the worldbuilding because the different worlds have different amounts of magic which leads to them interacting with and using magic differently and it’s just really well thought out.  

The characters!  There are not a whole lot of main characters in this book (I feel like with some fantasy books there can be way to many) so you’re really able to follow everything well.  As I said, this book gave me DND vibes and the main reason was the characters, especially Lila!  Pirate / rogue / ninja vibes from her.  She reminds me a lot of Celaena from TOG; I didn’t like Celaena in the beginning because she was kind of just a really brash, reckless and borderline rude girl, but as I learned more about her and saw how and why she fought I liked her a lot more.  I definitely think when I learn her backstory I’ll fall in love with Lila just as I did with Celaena.

It is usually very hard for me to like a villain in a lot of fantasy books because they’re never as dark as I want them to be or they’re written as dark but they just come across as cheesy.  But *oof*, I loved the villains in this book so much! Spoilers,

Spoiler

I will say the ending was a little lackluster to me mainly because I was upset with the twins dying because of how much I loved them as characters and villains.  But Holland is for sure still alive, I refuse to think otherwise, (I say that now but I’ll probably jinx it because I really liked him too lmao) and I know if the first villains are this good then the ones that are coming will be even better.

This was the first book and I think it was just a such a good way to set up a series because of how well the world was portrayed and how the main plot began.  It was simple because it was the pacing I think, but it was still exciting and you know the plot will just continue to unravel and mysteries will be solved.  I’m so excited to continue reading this series!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Torture, Violence, and Self harm

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment