Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard

18 reviews

victoria_elaine's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I was gonna give this a 3.75, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I really love these books, but the sections where Evangeline or cam were narrator if three me off and felt slow at some parts. The ending threw me for A LOOP btw ❤️💔 (major rant in the spoiler)

The story between Cam and her brother was really touching and I loved that they saved him. Evangeline just was not doing it for me. I loved her and Cal training together because just💕💕💕 and also they got a little 🥵🥵 but there’s no details so don’t think that’s gonna happen or nun’. ALSO CAL AND MARE TRYING TO KILL EACH OTHER WHEN REUNITED BECAUSE OF MERANDUS ALMOST DESTROYED ME but I’m so happy they were baes again😌 UNTIL THEY FREAKING WERENT?!?!!! Still emotionally recovering, might not ever get there

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Minor: Emotional abuse, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

stephwatsford's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

4.25

This was the second best book in the series after Glass Sword in my opinion. It was tense reading Mare’s desperation as she lived through the terror of being Maven’s prisoner. I liked the dual narrative although i wish we got to explore a little bit more of Cameron’s character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Torture

freyacarol's review

adventurous dark sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

The writing flips between good and bad. A lot of the metaphors are repeated and the writer tends to drag out parts where characters are explaining their feelings in an attempt to give them more depth, but it reads as clunky and overdone. That being said, I still do enjoy some of the characters, possibly because we haven't had to hear them explain the same thing over and over again. The main characters have made too many stupid decisions and the love story part of it  feels forced. The main character can't seem to decide whether she's a strong female protagonist or a simpering, helpless mess. 
The plot has some complexity, though it annoys me that a lot of the reasoning behind certain events is because the villain has this weird obsession with the main character that also perhaps could have been explained differently.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War

readwithde's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.25

I really enjoyed this book. Having the characters split gave them some extra time for progression (both character and plot).

While I get why Mare would be kept prisoner for so long, I would have preferred more interactions with the court, if not with Maven.

Even bringing in Evangeline's POV chapters earlier would have helped that section fill out a bit more, even if it tipped her family's hand a bit.

Cameron was an interesting POV for the Scarlet Guard/red side of things, which again left much of the political machinations off the page, but at least gave the basics. Even Kilorn would have been a better choice, in my opinion. 

I feel like the final third of the book dragged a bit, at least up until the climax,

the second battle at Corvium.

It just felt like the pacing was off after

Mare was rescued by the Scarlet Guard.

I think there was too much build up in the beginning that didn't leave enough room for the three bigger battles.

Finally,

I know we should want Cal to choose Mare, but I don't think he's wrong to ask Mare to choose him instead. I'm hoping there is a way for compromise in the final book, but I'm happy that each of them are actually dealing with what they want instead of throwing away their convictions, training, or lives.

Overall, this was a strong sequel, and I was surprised by a few things; I'm very excited to read the final book and the short stories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Gaslighting

Minor: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

mpolidori's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

trulydevious's review

adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, and War

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Murder

Minor: Child abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

llsugarspicell's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

4.25

I really loved this book, it’s better than the previous one.

⛔️ Spoilers ahead ⛔️

I loved Cameron and Evangeline POVs and enjoyed being in their heads for a change. Mare is good but she can’t pick aside just like Cal, she’s desperate and in love-hate relationship with Maven … yes she hates him but at the same time he’s all she can think about and want his attention and get jealous and want to convince herself she doesn’t care about him all the time.
 
Maven’s back story just broke me, i mean i guessed before his mother did something with his brain but I didn’t imagine it to be that bad, she  converted him into a sociopath and i just hated her more.
and can we talk about how the bath tub scene is THE BEST .. I don’t know why but my heart broke into millions and millions pieces after reading that chapter it was so great i felt every emotion … I’m not ready to read how my mavey baby gonna die 😢😭💔

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and War

Moderate: Vomit

marenk's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child death and Panic attacks/disorders