Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

A Court of Thorns and Roses (Parts 1 & 2) [Dramatized Adaptation], by Sarah J. Maas

25 reviews

amartin48's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

A lovely
SpoilerBeauty & the Beast
retelling that is great for a romance reader who wants an easy paranormal romance read with a little added adventure.

Honestly, for a plot driven book, I felt that the plot was rather predictable, and my favorite part of the book was the supporting characters. I didn't find the main characters terribly interesting, and they don't really grow much over the course of the book. I enjoyed the variations in this retelling, but the story itself didn't seem terribly unique to me...but I DID enjoy it as a lighthearted read, despite the violence and dark themes.
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stagemanaginger's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Too slow and hard to follow unless you devote all of your attention to it. Set it down for months before picking it up just so I could say I finished it. 
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eadrianschmitz's review against another edition

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The writing feels sloppy:
Spoiler ~"he was merciless" but he spared you which is merciful
Spoiler says her name twice in a convo, on the third time she says ~"so he remembered my name" but he already said it twice? Main character drives me crazy, feels so pathetic how she's
Spoiler slave to her toxic family and continues to worry and help them even though her father said never return clearly so he can be "taken care of" long term
Spoiler. Reading this just infuriated me and not in a passionate way, in an annoyed, "why would I waste time on this" way. A shame too because I loved Throne of Glass!
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orchidlilly's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
 Oh boy, so many things to say here. First of all, this was the first series in over 10 years that I DNF'd (never got past the first book). The writing is mediocre at best, the descriptions are trite and cliche, and it reads like fanfiction written by a middle-schooler. The main character, Feyre, is whiny, unlikable, and overall bland and annoying, she reads like a textbook self-insert mary sue who is the best at everything, except being girly because she's "not like other girls". The plot makes no real sense, and the story takes forever to move forward, usually with more focus on the smutty romance bits than the actual storyline. This story has just taken Katniss from the Hunger Games, poorly reskinned her, and dumped her in a wannabe dark and raunchy beauty and the beast ripoff. I could maybe see how it could be enjoyable for a horned up middle schooler/ early high schooler, but this book is not for anyone who wants actual substance to their stories. 
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superzoe's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

4.75

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kiractivity's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

It was a great opening book, I very much so enjoyed it.
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cowardlyteaman's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

I read this because a friend of mine really liked it. First, I'd like to say that I find this book very obviously directed towards women, given all the smug and sexy male characters. This is neither good nor bad, though, just an observation of who Maas' target audience are.
As a whole, I think this book is ... okay? To be honest, the characters all lack variation; ESPECIALLY the men. My God. As I mentioned before, they're all smug and have the same sense of humour.
The main character and the love interest have ??? No chemistry at all? I don't know, I might've developed a Stockholm syndrome, too, but I find nothing romantic about this relationship.
I have friends who enjoy this sort of erotica, though, so I know it's a thing, but I personally don't like the brushing off and poor writing of assault and harassment here. It's unrealistic and (though intentional) exclusively pornograpgic.
Some seem to be annoyed by the riddle? I have no opinion on it, other than that it was cheesy.

Well, anyway, I wanted to give this an «okay👍» in rating, because I know that a lot of people enjoy this, and that my judgement of it is biased because I don't think I am the target audience here. Please, I apologise for my messy writing. So, if you're into straight (~mildly) erotic fantasy, then I say go for it. Besides, everyone seems to agree that this isn't the best book in the series, either, so I'm guessing it'll be more worth it if you keep reading.
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vexedfox's review against another edition

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

3.75

Definitely a guilty pleasure, but a fun read. 
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heidishartrandnewell's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-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

For an avid reader, the tropes that seem evident in this first book do not continue throughout the series. This book gave me tons of Twilight vibes which made me very uncomfortable, but that dynamic changes as the series continues! Keep reading!!
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its_kievan's review against another edition

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

2.5

I’m not gonna lie, the start is very rocky, but once the plot really gets going (about 2/3rds of the way through, but still) I was having a lot of fun. Nesta kicks ass, there’s cool faerie magic, and the plot twist genuinely surprised me, which is pretty rare. This is the first time I’ve read a fantasy with a romance subplot that I didn’t hate. Also the first time I’ve read a romance fantasy written by a woman - proving once again that maybe men should take a break from SFF for a while.
(PS. Anyone who complains about people reading ACOTAR instead of “real fantasy” doesn’t know where the clit is.)
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