Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Tower of the Swallow by Andrzej Sapkowski

13 reviews

opinkb's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Body horror, Child abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Sexual assault, War, Sexual harassment, and Grief

marinaxanna's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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

2.5

probably my least favorite part in the series. it felt like it dragged on and progress felt so slow due to time switches. like a lot of build up to nothing basically, and only in the last part it felt like the plot was finally moving along.

im just waiting to feel that same ‘magic’ i felt while reading time of contempt. it was kind of lost for me in this part with the constant jumping back and forth. loved ciri and yennefers parts as well as geralts. wish all the side characters POVs were kept to a minimum, maybe for intros and interludes only. i get its helpful storytelling to let readers know whats happening in the world by choosing to use different characters but there were just way too many. the story would be stronger by sticking to geralt/ciri/yennefer. dijkstra is SO boring to me, and triss feels/felt underdeveloped (i feel like she deserved better because i loved her moments with ciri in prior parts).

anyway. one more part. i really hope the pace picks up. and more magic! because i think its such a huge subject in this universe and its been kind of neglected. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Physical abuse

excepto's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

Mam wrażenie że Sapkowskiemu, piszącemu książkę w której nic się nie dzieje, a czyny prawie wszystkich bohaterów nie mają wpływu na ostateczną sytuację, udaje się dalej opowiedzieć historię o wielu rzeczach.
Czuję, że im bardziej czytam tym bardziej wiem czemu mi nie leży adaptacja serialowa, wiedźmin to w małym stopniu historia o zabijaczu potworów, bardziej o politycznych intrygach, na szczeblu głów państw, jak i drobnych rzezimieszków. Najgorszymi potworami stałe są ludzie, którzy nie powstrzymują się przed niczym.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, Cursing, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexual content, Slavery, Child abuse, Torture, Transphobia, Drug use, Infidelity, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Animal death, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, War, and Xenophobia

saltylane's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

4.0

Despite how confusing the jumping around of the narration could be, I did quite enjoy the varying viewpoints used. It was interesting to be able to read all the different characters’ perspectives. There are a lot of cliffhangers and enough intrigue to make me want to keep reading all the way to the end of the story/series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Child death, Child abuse, Body horror, and Blood

Moderate: Alcohol and War

Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Vomit

bobstick's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

A great story told in many flashbacks which can be hard to grasp the exact timeline, but still a rather simple story to understand as it's all explained and written quite well. This book mainly focuses on Ciri with Geralt only really being a side character, a complete switch on the previous book, but I think works in the series' favour.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Kidnapping, and Animal death

proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.5

Häxkarlen Geralt letar efter sin skyddsling och lärling Ciri, arvtagerska till Cintras tron. Tillsammans med ett rövarband lever Ciri för första gången ett fritt liv, utan att någon vet vem hon är eller var hon befinner sig. Men det är inte bara Geralt som vill hitta henne. Båda sidorna i det krig som härjar har insett Ciris betydelse och skickat legosoldater och trollkarlar efter henne...

Som tidigare tycker jag det är mest intressant när vi får följa Ciri. Geralt med följe verkar inte göra några större framsteg i sina försök att hitta henne, men det går inte så mycket bättre för de andra som letar efter tronarvingen. Jag har haft den här boken som sängläsning på kvällarna och då blir det oftast inte så mycket läst innan jag somnar, så det har tagit mig några veckor. Det har funkat bra med den här boken, både för att man vid det här laget känner till karaktärerna och världen ganska bra och för att det har varit ett rätt så långsamt tempo. För mig har det varit en bok att "vila i", som inte krävt alltför stor tankemöda eller varit för spännande att sluta läsa. 

De tidigare böckerna i serien har jag lyssnat på, men Svalans torn fick jag som recex från Albert Bonniers förlag (Gondol är ett imprint inom Bonniers). Det var intressant att se namnen i text och veta hur de uttalades, så jag kan rekommendera att man varvar läsning och lyssning. Jag var inne på att ge den här boken ett medelbetyg, men slutet lyfte den faktiskt en del och gjorde mig mer angelägen om att läsa nästa del!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and War

camoo3032's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

One of the things I love about this series is the different perspectives that Sapkowski chooses to tell the story from. In this book there are several different perspectives which almost makes the book read as a collection of interwoven short stories. It's very clever and engaging but I did find it disorienting the first time.
It's also the most gruesome novel in the series

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Pedophilia, Torture, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Misogyny, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Ableism, Drug use, and Homophobia

Minor: Confinement, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Sexism, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Vomit, War, Child death, Classism, Transphobia, Biphobia, Excrement, Miscarriage, Grief, Pregnancy, Abortion, Abandonment, and Sexual content

cammy_16's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Physical abuse

Minor: Sexual harassment

upthestairs's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Death, Gore, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Torture, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Blood

Moderate: Sexual assault, Classism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual violence, War, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, and Animal death

Minor: Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Eating disorder, and Infidelity

rosequarterdrifting's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

1.75

favorite quotes:

Spoiler

'It's revolting! Revolting and sinful, Mr Houvenaghel, to be utilising a building which was once a place of worship for such an immoral, inhuman and disgusting practice! Animals also feel, Mr Houvenaghel! They also have their dignity! It's a crime to set animal against animal for the amusement of the common folk in the name of profit!'
'Calm yourself, you pious fellow! And don't meddle in my private enterprise! In any case, no animal shall be baited today. Not a single one! Exclusively people!'
'Oh. Then I do beg your pardon.'

Spoiler

Your vision is a world where people are afraid to venture out after dark; not for fear of cut-throats, but off the guardians of public order. For, after all, the result of all great crackdowns on miscreants is always that the miscreants enter the ranks of the guardians of public order en masse.

Spoiler

'What do you think ought to add to the painting?'
'Draw huge, erect phalluses on the primitive hunters.'

Spoiler

'Will I get Ciri back?'
The answer was immediate.
'You will. Only to lose her at once. And to be clear: forever; irrevocably. Before it comes to that, you will lose everybody who accompanies you. You will lose one of your companions in the next few weeks, perhaps even days. Perhaps even hours.'
'Thank you.'
'I haven't finished yet. The direct effect of your interference in the grinding querns of the Purpose and the Plan will be the death of tens of thousands of people. Which, as a matter of fact, doesn't matter much, since soon after, tens of millions of people will lose their lives. The world as you know it will simply vanish, cease to exist, in order – after a suitable time has passed – to revive in a totally different form. But in fact no one has, nor will have, any influence on it, no one is capable of preventing it nor staving off the course of events. Not you, not l, not sorcerers nor Sages. Not even Ciri. What do you say to that?'
'Purple bison.'

felt like it was kinda misery porn

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Excrement, Gore, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Drug use, Lesbophobia, and Pedophilia

Minor: Abandonment, Ableism, Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Miscarriage, Rape, and Vomit