Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Alas de sangre by Rebecca Yarros

84 reviews

jenniferbowman's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail

booksemmahasread's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Medical content, Murder, Gaslighting, and Classism

mysteryspouse's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Excrement

thebibutterfly's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

2.5

The last few chapters were better plot-wise than the entirety of the rest combined. That alone earned that 1/2 star. The writing is mid and the dialogue is horrible. The main character is positioned as “clever,” but seems completely oblivious and at times bone-dead stupid. I hate the nickname that Xadyn gives Violet, it makes zero sense since she’s the only one posited as “merciful” throughout the story. Loved the dragons more than the people, but they’re all flat, one dimensional characters. The concept of killing off cadets during (and even before) training makes even less sense than the nonsensical “challenges.” On top of which, it cheapens the deaths of the characters that we’re meant to care about. It’s repetitive and tedious all throughout with far too many unrealistic plot conveniences. I hated how heavily this relied on tropes rather than focus on a logical plot and character development.

The couple were cringey at best, but her weird obsession with his looks is incredibly creepy. He was controlling and obnoxious. Kind of hated both of them, to be honest. The cliff-hanger ending was cheap and entirely unearned.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail

ninahuynh's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense 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? N/A

4.75

What an ending! I like how the dragons have their own voices and aren’t just animals the humans use. I was onboard with Violet’s character for most of the book, but the parts where I wasn’t was when her resolve just didn’t fit her character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

britwalsh16's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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

Holy shit!!! What took me so long to read this book!!! It is incredible!!! Rebecca Yarros is in the same league with Sarah J Maas except with Rebecca it doesn’t take a book or 2 to get me addicted to the series, I was hooked from the beginning! I loved everything about this book & I already want to read it again!!! But instead I’m going to go start Iron Flame! 😍

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Physical abuse, and Vomit

Minor: Torture and Abandonment

ursimae's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Torture, Colonisation, and Classism

farawaymoon0719's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Violence, and Medical content

Minor: Genocide, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

malmark's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and War

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

1.25

While I understand why people would enjoy this book, I am unfortunately one of the ones that couldn't turn off the feeling that I was reading a YA that was aged up to include sex.

I could not read the word badass without cringing.  The world building was positively wild.  It's in a more historical fantasy setting where they write with quills, use weapons, crossbows were a big deal, people who wield magic have access to smaller abilities like locking/unlocking doors, making mage light, etc.  There lots of wooden shit, but that also translated to having wooden exercise equipment to essential get swole in a modern fashion, rather than bodyweight exercises.  There's a brief mention right at the beginning about shoe sizes which means they have standardized them?  And the whole riders quadrant can get married before everyone else when the graduate....  At age 23?  That's early for this society?  And the focus of sexual relations was just pervasive.  The talk of raging hormones...  The convenience of fertility suppressants getting a brief mention before boning down.  Oh and gods are worshipped, but not by dragons.

There was some disability rep that I think was decent considering that it was a fantastical setting with healers, and the character didn't want to "look weak" and would refuse treatment to speed the healing process.  There was some LGBT+ rep as well, but mostly on a surface level for side characters.

Honestly, it was fine but the romance had me putting the book down regularly and made finishing this book difficult.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism