Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

116 reviews

shellballenger's review against another edition

dark inspiring tense slow-paced

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

4.25

Type of read: Lunch/Weekend Read.

What made me pick it up: Maas sucked me in with ACOTAR and now I just want more of the Maasverse and let's be honest, to prepare for the interconnection of all her literary worlds.

Overall rating: I think one of my favorite things about Maas is how they can create a world and all of these beautiful, broken, horrific, relatable characters but still make you feel like you're transported a million miles away while you read. 'Queen of Shadows' was another builder for me. Honestly, it wasn't until the last one hundred pages or so that I was literally sitting there gasping, squirming, screaming, and frustrated. I don't think 'Queen of Shadows' sucked me in as much as some of the earlier in the series, but I did really like that we got so many varying perspectives and experiences. We also get some great backstory and additional insight on multiple characters, which is always nice. Overall, not mad. It's not a throw-across-the-room book by any means, but I feel like we're getting to a place where the story is going to stab me in the heart here soon.

EDITED TO ADD: I've had a couple days to think on 'Queen of Shadows' and I'm getting angrier that literally all the good parts are stuffed into the last 150 pages or so. Grrrrrr.

Reader's Note: 'Queen of Shadows' includes themes of death, dying, forced pregnancy, kidnapping/capture, and torture.

My extended reading time of 'Queen of Shadows' has nothing to do with the content and more to do with the fact that I was working through buying and selling our house when I started. My nights and weekends were spent packing instead of in Rifthold. If I squished all my reading sessions together, it'd be about two weeks' worth.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Torture, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

jessicakauffman15's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Vomit, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and War

Minor: Drug use, Genocide, Sexual content, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

kkellymsu's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

Minor: Mental illness, Rape, Vomit, and Gaslighting

hxlleann's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

mlottermoser's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Epic world building. Love the elaborate plans for revenge, the small elements of friendship and hope. Team Rowan. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death and Grief

Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

This book references sex, but not in a graphic way. The characters list for each other but don’t actually fulfill those desires. Minor storyline dealing with pregnancy and a miscarriage. Lots of blood and carnage, but she’s an assassin and they’re fighting a war.

mrsjburgin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War

shaylashaylala's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death and Pregnancy

booksemmahasread's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

eleek0609's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

jls6283's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.25

I really like this series and am very invested in the characters. 

Some things felt a little drawn out, but they were worth the ending…

Sometimes the emotional whiplash and indecision from these characters annoys me, but then again… they are 19-25 year olds (minus Rowan 😅) 

I’m going to say something that is an unpopular opinion 😅 (spoilers ahead)

Chaol is not wrong for being skeptical of magic. He’s literally trying to save Dorian from a king who hoarded all the magic for himself and he wants to make sure there are power checks so that something like this doesn’t happen again. He knew that she held the entire city of Doranelle hostage for Maeve’s behavior, and he fears that the people of Adarlan - regardless of their feelings for the king - will all similarly suffer at Aelin’s hand. He’s the human voice of reason in this series…

Also Aelin is a bitch to him when she blames him for EVERYTHING that happened while she was gone, yet tells him “You do not get to blame me for that - for his (the king’s) actions.” I still love her and am rooting for her, but this was not it and she was truly unlikeable at the beginning of this book. Chaol gave up his entire life (as he should’ve) when he understood what was going on. He gets so much hate (from Aelin and fans of the series)

and I don’t get it 🫣

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Vomit

Moderate: Miscarriage, Slavery, and Pregnancy

Minor: Emotional abuse and Classism