Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Vyjednavač by Brandon Sanderson

4 reviews

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

I don't really know how I feel about this one...  The world building was, as usual for the author, impeccable and the magic system compelling, if a little confusing.  It was more predictable than I would expect a political intrigue ridden book to be and the romance sub plot(s) were kind of uncomfortable and cringe inducing.  There were times I was really enjoying it, but I think the overall take away was pretty mid.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cinhein's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Single-handedly responsible for a 7 month reading slump.

The first Sanderson book that was genuinely a slog to get through.

It is distinctly mid-2000s in vibe (not complimentary).

The 'villains' being entirely justified but ThEy WeNt ToO fAr had to be tired when it was published. Now it reads like a bad joke. Sure, it would suck for the Main Characters but we've just spent 600 pages surrounded by characters doing their best to prove that they would deserve it.

And no, the sex slave-slaver romance will never work no matter how you try to justify it.

There are 3 good characters here, and I spent most of the book hoping that everybody would die violently else. Not a great response to trigger for a book with a main theme of 'war bad'.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.0

This was my first book I have read from Brandon Sanderson, but I have been wanting to read a book from him for a few years. I heard him speak a few years ago at a book conference, and was immediately intrigued by his popular writing.  It may have been an ambitious undertaking for someone that does not typically read high fantasy, but I had a really great time reading this! I initially heard about this book from someone I follow online, and I thought I would give it a shot. I was very pleased to find that this book has a "graphic audiobook" to accompany it, and I had such a wonderful time listening to "Warbreaker"! I did not know this was a type of audiobook offered, but I hope to find more like it in the future!
This story follows a few different points of view, but the main points of interest are two sisters who are princesses. One of them is to marry the God King, and the other sister sets off on an adventure to save her sister from a predestined fate. The God King is a silent and misunderstood man who is harboring his country's secrets. Will the sisters be reunited and will they be able to stop a seemingly inevitable war?
I did not know what to expect when I started this book, but from the first chapter I was sucked into this story. I 100% recommend the graphic audiobook, if you want to pick this up. The graphic audiobook is full cast, offers dramatic character readings, and has sound effects to accompany the story. I was a little worried that this fantasy book would be a little too political for my taste because it highlights two countries that are on the brink of a war, but I think the conflict was written in an entertaining way, and there was not too much discussion about politics that I would have been bored by. As this story is centralized around a forced marriage, there is a little romance weaved into the violence and betrayal. I think the romance offered a nice balance of "niceness" in a story that could have been much more bloody. 
I think this book has a little bit for everyone: love, betrayal, war, politics, violence, friendship, and a huge adventure. I definitely look forward to reading more from Brandon Sanderson in the future!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

marareading's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-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

3.5

This is a very interesting YA fantasy. My first Brandy Sandy book too! This man loves his world building. I loved that then world building was built into the story and not aside in a massive info dump. The story was very unique, but the first half was still VERY SLOW. there was 8 chapters of just talking about getting married to a God before learning much but the colors. HOWEVER, the color power system based on breaths was pretty cool. It did also feel like the whole book ended very quickly, and the entire book wrapped in the last 50 pages. Everything happened all at once, and  then ended pretty abruptly. I'm still going back and forth with myself in how much I may have loved it or not, but I definitely did LIKE it. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings