Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Desert Spear

Could not get past how women are treated/written. The first 3rd follows a POV character with troubling mindset. But when repeated scenes of incest I had to stop.

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nienora's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

3,8 ⭐
It's very different from the first book. It feels like a filler book. It established some new relationships between characters that will probably become important later on. Ending was great.
The highlight is Jardir. His character, doubts of Inevere and her motives were great, the whole first part really. I also liked.. not knowing who the Deliverer is. Or rather, who the people believe he is and why. It's very interesting to see opposing sides, both in their own motivation and how different cultures interpret the myth.

There were descriptions and mentions of some darker subjects like rape and incest, and on a level I didn't expect or liked. Whole Krasia feels very stereotypical Middle eastern. They even use the same terminology. It certainly didn't help that they're presented as "the bad guys" at least by Arlen, who is the main protagonist.

I don't really like how female characters are represented, like everything is centred around sex. I don't have a problem with how male characters see them and how they act towards them. That's all very in line with their cultures and personal experiences. I have a problem with how the girls think.
[Mild spoiler for Leesha]

When Leesha first met Jardir, her first thought was how hot he looks and she even said it out loud. He's someone who doesn't look or dress like people she knows, someone who she personally called a demon spawn, someone who started the war and wants to conquer everyone in his way and rape and assault every women who cross his army's way. And her first thought is how hot he is?? In the end their relationship made more sense, but I still hate her initial reaction.

Inevere is fine, she uses sex as a tool to get her way and as a disguise for her true plans. While, maybe, not the best thing, it works and fits her role in that society and the series. Leesha is the main one I have a problem with. Especially for someone who went through what she did. Plus some minor side characters but we didn't get enough of their inner thoughts to make me that mad.

I realise that all of this makes it sound a lot worse than it is. It's actually pretty good. Plot is interesting. Characterisation is done extremely well. But there were little things that bothered me on a very personal level, and I can't forget about that. But I'm definitely continuing this series. I like the demons and the wards and I want to know what will become of Arlen in the end.

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ladymair's review against another edition

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As a woman, I am ANGRY.

This isn’t an author who can’t write women, but OMG the R*pe in this book!!!

I will preface if you like this book, that is absolutely fine, but you have to acknowledge that the R*pe in this book isn’t the best, and should ideally be taken out.

Let's talk about this. This book came out years ago, and SA was known to be in a lot of older fantasy books, but never ever have I seen it this bad. I got through 50% of this book before i dnfed, and I was enjoying the story until the SA. Sa can be written into books if taken with enough care, and not just because of a trauma point, but Brett failed.

Brett did this in the first book. R*pe was there for no reason but i let it slide, thinking that as it was a debut he would grow and learn. The fuck was I wrong.

I was listening to this book at work, and for the hour I listened I was almost sick with how many times/long the scene was. It never went into detail, but as someone who isn’t squamish, I was sickened. SICKENED. How the hell did the editors let this be published? I have no idea.

I’m not going to go into detail, but the scene in question about SA with the father, and the other sisters were telling the victim to put up with it, because they had to. Um F NO. that does not happen. Not to mention the character shows no abusive attributes. And after, she isn't traumatised but quite happy to sleep with a guy she fancies THE NEXT FING DAY

Sa is flooded through this book, not just from the women's side. A man is SAed as well. But Brett takes no time to process these instances, to give a voice on it and to show the victims feelings. It's just there. For no reason at all, and that is what sickens me.

I hate this book with all my being because of it. The SA could be torn from the book and it would change nothing. The plot is fine, the characters are okay and I was enjoying the series until this point. Demons? Give me.

As a woman I am so fed up of reading books where women are put down, SAed, treated as nothing. This book is like that, and even the other women treat other women like they are nothing. No solidarity, no advice on how to live in a man’s world.

I really wish authors would do better. As a woman, I've had enough.

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miss_marvel_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

in 4 tagen 1000 seiten zu verschlingen spricht glaube ich für sich…

dieses buch ist soo komplex, es gibt bei den charakteren so viele verschiedene meinung, ansichten und traditionen, sodass jeder in irgendeiner sache mal übereinstimmt und sich über die nächste streitet

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gharper's review against another edition

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talle's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

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