Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Die Zeit der Verachtung by Andrzej Sapkowski

9 reviews

jaedia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, War, Physical abuse, Abandonment, and Confinement

Moderate: Colonisation, Genocide, Rape, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Classism, Racism, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Violence

stephen_welch93's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.75

The writing style is interesting. A lot of the action happens on the periphery of the narrative. That makes the world feel very alive. A lot happens away from the main characters. But that also makes it very complicated and difficult to keep track of what’s happening. The cast of characters is also very large, so keeping everyone straight can be tough. The plot is interesting and the characters are cool. I definitely want to know what happens next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Suicide, Gore, Murder, and War

Moderate: Rape, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, Xenophobia, Animal death, Torture, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, and Cursing

Minor: Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Self harm, Cannibalism, Genocide, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

thebibliobibuli's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Death, Gore, Murder, Suicide, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Sexual assault, Cursing, Rape, Sexual content, and Vomit

billyjepma's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

A much better entry than the last one, though not without the typical bevy of "yeah, a straight white man definitely wrote this." The worldbuilding kicks back into high gear, and it rules. Sapkowski gets to dig into the politics of his cruel fantasy world and develop the different factions scheming against each other. I'm a sucker for that stuff, so obviously, it worked for me. His action scenes are also stellar, as per usual, and I don't think I'll ever get tired of how much specificity he invests in the quick but brutal bouts of combat. 

Not all of the development lands, and Sapkowski would benefit from a slightly more ruthless editor. And, again, the way he writes his women characters is a big ol' mixed bag. Sometimes, it's really good, and I genuinely appreciate how complex his cast's morality and motivations are, men and women alike. He doesn't suffer from cliches in that way. What he does suffer from are many of the other problems that plague most fantasy penned by male writers. He relies far too heavily on the sexuality and violence the women are defined by or threatened with. These issues aren't as pronounced as in the last book, but they're still here, and I don't see them miraculously disappearing moving forward. 

Still, I enjoyed this immensely, and my fascination and investment in the Witcher series are here to stay.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Death, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Animal death, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, War, Xenophobia, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Confinement, and Sexual assault

Minor: Genocide and Vomit

bookaholic_in_wonderland's review

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual harassment, War, Violence, Vomit, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Kidnapping, and Blood

Minor: Cursing and Pedophilia

bailey1196's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Death

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and War

catriona99674's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-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

3.0

This is definitely my least favourite of the Witcher books so far. It felt like mostly exposition. The random POVs made the pacing odd and it ended in a very strange place. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, and Torture

chronographia's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, and Violence

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Domestic abuse

rachaelbunny's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Cursing, Xenophobia, Violence, Torture, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Racism, Physical abuse, and Genocide