Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

33 reviews

chanlo1994's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

5.0

Again, the prose in this book is stunning. So much lovely poetry and creative writing. Rachel Gillig is a beautiful writer.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Child death, Infidelity, and Vomit

g_c_geeks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

Holy moly this was amazing. Genuinely can’t think of a single complaint. This book built upon everything it promised in the first one, and then some. 
I absolutely adored the characters, and how much depth we got to see from multiple characters. Each story was so compelling, loved it. 
The magic in this series is so amazing, and the atmosphere and sense of history just really drove this home for me. I love a world that feels so full and complete, like it will exist outside of the story, and this hit the nail on the head for me. 
Anyways, TLDR; loved it and 100% recommend (just check your trigger warnings). 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Death and Suicidal thoughts

oxfordcommas91'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

4.5

I love a duology because it moves the story along but gives you enough time to delve into the important aspects of the plot. This book was a satisfying conclusion to the story of Elspeth, Ravyn, the Nightmare and the whole cast of characters working to try to unite the deck of Providence cards and save Blunder from the encroaching fog. I really liked that we got to dive more into Ione and Elm's stories and their unique motivations alongside the stories of Elspeth and Ravyn. Tying all these storylines together gave us a better insight into the history of the Providence Cards and makes for a very rewarding outcome. The last 100 pages were tense - I blew through the back half of this book because I needed to know what would happen as time was running short. A truly enjoyable series and would recommend it to folks looking for a dark/gothic fantasy that you can tackle in a short amount of time with a romance sub-plot. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

haelilari's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Domestic abuse

jg736388's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Domestic abuse

alba_1994's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.75

Thank the tree spirit for Taxus and Elm, they levelled this up an extra star. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Torture, and Murder

epbr's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

4.75

A great sequel, like it better than the first and truly surprised I'm giving it such a large rating

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Torture

covenofcrumpets's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Torture

Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent

etymoye's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 

Genres: New Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Paranormal / Supernatural

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Competent Heroine, Sweet/Gentle Hero, Magic 

I struggled a little bit with rating this one. Like the first book, I loved the world-building, the writing, the intricate plotting that came together in the end. That part was all phenomenal, and I can’t wait to see more from this author.

That being said, I actually rated this one a little lower than the first book, which was a five-star read for me.

I loved Elspeth as a character in book one, and as much as I loved Elm being added to the mix, I missed having Elspeth being front and center the way she was in book one. And I was really frustrated with the fact that for some reason, we are never given Ione’s POV. Her story should be empowering–she goes from being objectified and abused to embracing her independence and emotions. But for some reason, we only ever get to see her through Elm’s eyes. Why? 

Yes, she tells Elm (and by extension the reader) her thoughts and feelings, but that doesn’t feel the same to me. We were able to get close to Elspeth and see her as fully developed character in book one. I wanted the same thing for Ione, and I’m disappointed that we never got it. 

I’m also disappointed that Elspeth and Ravyn’s ending was just a HFN, yet Elm and Ione were married. I get that a marriage was necessary in practical terms for Ione to become queen, but it felt like a lackluster conclusion for our couple from book one.

Safety Stats:

Ages:

Both Ione and Elm are presumably in their early 20s, but it’s never directly stated.

Cheating:

None.

Other OM/OW:

None.

Separation:

Elm and Ione are separated in the 3rd act by Hauth, Elm’s brother, but are reunited.

Triggers:

Some descriptions of violence, including domestic violence/assault by Hauth directed at Ione.

HEA/HFN?:

HEA for Ione and Elm who get married, HFN for Ravyn and Elspeth.

 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Past physical abuse of Ione by her fiancee, Hauth

charliebee13's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse