Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

35 reviews

beebeewin's review against another edition

adventurous emotional fast-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

4.5

Upon re-reading I enjoyed this book as much as a remember! I appreciate Kristin Cashore's ability to write an engaging world with well fleshed out characters, especially in regards to Katsa. She creates morally complex characters with ease, and for a teen book doesn't shy away from having characters with motivations and dreams that might be different than in classical YA fiction. There is no pulled punches, which makes for a YA read that, at the time I first read it and even now, doesn't feel like someone dumbing down difficult topics for teens. My only issue is the main conflict seemed to resolve so quickly, like within one chapter. I almost wish that was just drawn out a little longer so that we could really see Katsa's growth and character development fleshed out more. Regardless, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick, interesting, and engaging fantasy read. 

Also 100% Raffin and Bann are gay and you can't convince me otherwise, make it cannon!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Torture and Blood

qrschulte's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

Oh wow I inhaled this book. It’s so great to find characters I love and a world I can lose myself in. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcohol

hamstringy's review against another edition

adventurous 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? No

4.0

*reread from adolescence*

Definitely holds up as a fun story, although in retrospect much hornier than I remember (neutral)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death and Domestic abuse

guessgreenleaf's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Blood and War

gillian_aftanas's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Incest, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Child death and Abortion

martin27's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful 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

3.0

The beginning drags on for quite a while, and the middle struck me as just being bland. The ending was very good though. Really everything after the introduction of Princess Bitterblue is good and the rest is not bad but didn’t interest me that much. I expected a much more complex magic system than what the Graces actually are, which is a vague concept that for some people is the ability to read minds or see the future and for others is just being able to swim sort of fast. The world building as a whole is very weak. In fact it’s the weakest point of the novel, I think. The author’s voice is unique and has promise but the world that Graceling is set in just doesn’t have any depth. 

It was fine and isn’t the worst book ever, but I’m not super committed to picking up any of the sequels. I will stress again that Katsa and Bitterblue have a great relationship that was really interesting, and I love that

Katsa, a woman who is committed to remaining childfree and unmarried, is not convinced that she actually did want children all along. Katsa loves kids and was very protective of Bitterblue, but that doesn’t mean she wants to have kids. It was a pleasant surprise to not have her shoved into a motherly role even when she has to take care of a kid for a third of the novel. Bitterblue is like a sister to her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Blood, Vomit, and Kidnapping

Minor: Misogyny, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

alexandrabelze's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious sad 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

3.25

i absolutely loved the pacing of this book. everything flowed perfectly together and i was never left feeling like things were moving too quickly or like we had hit a wall. cashore’s writing style is so unique, but i came to love it while reading. it fits katsa’s character so well! katsa and po’s relationship had me HOOKED mawma. i was also living for katsa and bitterblue’s (<3<3) relationship. so excited to read the rest of the series!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement and Emotional abuse

Minor: Sexual content, Torture, and Kidnapping

imds's review against another edition

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Child death

ottersilver's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-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

Know this is a first in a series which go very different directions than you’d expect. Don’t read the third book’s preview chapter, as I think it has a spoiler In it. This book has inspired me in ways I didn’t think of.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture, Vomit, and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Death of parent

lots of violent fights between MCs with details

chasekj's review against another edition

adventurous fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

I liked this book a lot and am excited to read the next one!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent