Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

14 reviews

cecilielaugesen's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

I liked how it’s written; mysterious, magical and fantastical.
For me it was a good book, but it didn’t have that special something. And I found the ending a bit weird and unfulfilling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism

Moderate: Death

bookishperseus's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Ableism, Sexism, and Pregnancy

bookishperseus's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Ableism, Sexism, and Pregnancy

kelly_'s review against another edition

4.0

Villains aren’t at all developed/barely there. The characters, their histories/motivations etc are only gently touched on. Not much around the mythology of this world.

Generally though, it’s a quick and easy read aimed at children/young adults with a dash of magic/supernatural.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

mariebrunelm's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious 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? No

How do you fight off a reading slump ? I often pick a short, entertaining read and / or choose middle-grade or YA for intense readability.

I have loved both the middle-grade and adult books by Kiran Millwood Hargrave I’ve read in the past, so this was a safe bet and indeed I had an excellent time. This is a YA adventure following 13-year-old Isabella, living on an island with her dad, cat and hen. Their village is wrapped in mysteries since all birds but ravens flew and the forest has been declared forbidden to enter. The Governor responsible for this decision is a cruel man, but whoever defies him ends in prison or worse. Isabella is the only one who was willing to befriend his daughter Lupe, not guessing that this would lead her to betray the man’s orders. But terrible beasts lurk in the forest, and there are uncharted lands to explore.

This novel is very evocative and image-rich, which didn’t necessarily work for my aphantasia (I can’t picture images in my mind) but there was lots of adventure on the whole, with a fierce protagonist determined to do what’s right. It was a really lovely story that played on legends and stories, not without its darkness (if you’ve read Julia & the Shark you know) but well told. Not my favourite (Julia remains a huge favourite, and The Mercies after that), but well worth a try.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Minor: Death and Grief

lilacsophie's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury

elbojt's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death

tetedump's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

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

rosie722's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

Enjoyed this a lot, found it gripping and emotional. Occasionally the writing was slightly confusing and I couldn't fully understand what was going on, especially at the end

in the cavern of glass and when the sea is spreading through the labyrinth and Joya. It felt rushed and badly explained. I thought Lupe's death was well-written and heartbreaking.

 
Overall, I loved the characters and the intricate world-building. 4 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

grrrlbrarian's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful sad 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Vomit, and Murder