Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

13 reviews

birdkeeperklink's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Sexism, and Grief

Minor: Pedophilia and Racism

megan1002's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-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

4.0

This story was really not what I expected. I honestly came here looking for the political intrigue that often came with books about war and the intricate magic of high fantasy—both of which I didn't get. Instead, what I got is the bone deep and inter-generational trauma of colonization and genocide and the ultimate greyness of humanity's morality. This isn't what I expected but I can't say I hate it. Somehow this story, despite being fiction, felt real. Though, until the end I still felt confusion—as compared to how about 20% through other stories I have enough of an understanding of the worldbuilding to get what's going on—I don't hate it? This books, is filled to the brim with history, not only of its world, but the individual lives in it. There is so much going on, rich stories in every page, interwoven together, and inner monologues of characters that force you to confront the greyness of your own morality, that you just can't help but feel confused. And I think it adds to the experience. That one sex scene made me uncomfortable though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, and War

Moderate: Genocide

benditlikebecka's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Genocide, Incest, Suicide, Violence, Colonisation, and War

risaleel's review against another edition

adventurous reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

pineapplesurvivor's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicide attempt, and Colonisation

Moderate: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Police brutality

Minor: Confinement, Homophobia, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and War

manda_ruthie's review against another edition

My loan came due from the library and this book wasn't worth renewing. Some parts were great, and of course the author is so good at sucking the reader into particular scenes, but for the most part it was pretty slow and boring. The politics of the land are a large part of the book, but they aren't very interesting. The Fionivar Tapestry series from Guy Gavriel Kay is way better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence

sealreads's review against another edition

adventurous sad medium-paced

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

3.75

This was a very strange read for me - I LOVE the writing style, thr world building and premise were great, but the plot just couldn't keep my interest.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Incest

hopeboyce's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Pros : concept, scope, theme, writing, pace

Cons : the female characters oscillated between stereotypical “men writing women” and moderately compelling, but by the end they each had aspects that left a bad taste in my mouth. 

It’s frustrating to read a story with such interesting themes, compelling emotional beats, and practically perfect pacing, and be repeatedly let down by this. And there are several POV female characters - each with distinct voices, motivations and lives - it wasn’t all terrible, it just became disappointing by the end how each arc revolved around sex in some way, either as a tool of agency, a way of measuring innocence, a scene of trauma, or a moment of reward for a male character. I kept giving it slack for being written a few decades ago to just being tired of reading each and every woman be framed through the lens of her sexuality in varying ways. 

Also why the hell did Dianora love Brandin? Sure, it would be an interesting dynamic to explore but there’s no convincing development or explanation for why she falls in love. And she is horrified by what happens to Rhun but that doesn’t somehow affect her feelings or convictions?

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense 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

4.5

Why I Read It: 

I borrowed Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay from my library because I loved A Song for Arbonne. 

 

Review:

Guy Gavriel Kay is an amazing storyteller, and Tigana exemplifies his abilities. Despite the book’s grand scope and numerous point-of-view chapters, the central thread of the story remains strong. The characters are so complex and well-written that at times Kay made me root for the villain and denounce the heroes. Their actions serve as fascinating explorations into trauma and grief’s role in morality. His world feels real and textured, but he does not indulge in any unnecessary paragraphs describing aspects of the world just for the sake of it. Kay also has a strong grasp of how politics—both at the macro and micro level— are shaped by the environment, the actions of individual rulers, chance, and the actions of common people. 

 

My favorite part of Tigana is the ending. It is rare that I find a book with an ending as perfect as this one. He somehow manages to produce a satisfying, dramatic, well-earned ending (with a twist!) that perfectly balances between triumph and believability, conclusion and open-endedness. 

 

My only complaints about this book lie in minor details. There is a wholly gratuitous (non-consensual) sex scene that probably should not have made the final cut, mostly because it feels like a horny indulgence on the part of the author rather than a scene in service of the story. Additionally, the choice to have the only character of color actually be a white person in disguise gave me pause. These sorts of problems did not really detract from my enjoyment of the story, but I could see why someone else might take issue with them. 

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like Tigana if:

·      You like epic fantasy books

·      You appreciate a well-told story with complex characters, strong worldbuilding, and a masterfully crafted plot

 

You might not like Tigana if:

·      You don’t like reading books with multiple point-of-views 

·      You struggle to keep track of multiple characters and storylines

·       You prefer morally “clean” protagonists

·      You’re not in the mood for a dark story

 

A Similar Book: 

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. Similarities between these books include:

·      Fantasy setting

·      Political scheming and intrigue

·      Morally gray characters

·      Multiple point-of-views

·      Dark and twisted elements

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Genocide, Incest, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Animal death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Drug use, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

kalmia31's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Body horror, Cancer, Homophobia, and Suicide attempt