Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Lo scudo del principe by Cassandra Clare

8 reviews

kw_masters's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, and Alcohol

manaledi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-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

4.25

This is one of my favorite fantasy reads of the year, which is saying something as I'm over 100 books and most of them are fantasy at this halfway point. The pacing was slow at the beginning with the dual POV, but everything really started to come together and it was entertaining throughout. I appreciated the range of characters that all had some depth and some different motivations - there's no obvious "bad" guy and no obvious "good" guy in the trap that so much fantasy falls into. I found myself still thinking about the characters and the plot questions days later and am already impatient for book two. There are some fairly clear similarities to real life places/cultures/religions and in some places I had enough background to follow and in others I could only tell that names were similar. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I received a copy of this book as part of my FairyLoot subscription.
"Sword Catcher" is Cassandra Clare's debut into adult fantasy. Kel was an orphan and a child with a bleak future ahead of him, when he was taken to become a Sword Catcher, a body double for the prince, Conor. Kel and Conor grew up next to each other, and despite the difference in power, Kel thinks of Conor as a brother and would do anything for him. Lin is a member of the Ashkar, a small community that still have magical abilities. Lin has aspired to become a physician, so that she can hopefully find a suitable cure for her best friend's mysterious illness. After an unfortunate attack, Lin and Kel are brought together, and the pair each have their own run in with the Ragpicker King. Now Lin and Kel have to decide what knowledge is worth dying for, and who they can actually trust.
I was blown away with how much I was invested in this story, and I think it is my new favorite from Cassandra Clare. As much as I enjoyed the Shadowhunter world, I really appreciated seeing Cassandra expand her talents into a new world. This book is beautifully written, and it is very evident that the author is an experienced fantasy writer.
I really enjoyed the switching between Kel's and Lin's perspectives. Both characters were equally interesting to me, and I really appreciated getting both of their stories. I appreciated even more when their stories began to converge, and we got to see them come together.
Kel's story is devastating: an orphan who was taken in by royalty to act as the prince so that if there was an assassination attempt on the prince, the real prince would not die. Despite his humble beginnings, I loved seeing his loyalty towards Conor. He could have very easily grown resentful of Conor, but he really believed him to be a brother, and that relationship is so important to Kel. I also think he is a great influence on Conor, and I believe Conor really does care for Kel. Even when they were children, Conor asked if Kel wanted to be the Sword Catcher, because Conor wanted someone who wanted to be there.
Lin's story was incredible. She fought through so much adversity to become a physician, something women could only dream of. Not only did she get to practice medicine, but she was also really amazing at it. Lin's determination to become knowledgeable in the field of medicine was driven by such noble reasons, and it made her all the more relatable and likeable.
This book is rife with action. Just when you think the characters have a moment to breath, there is conflict, and someone's life is on the line. This really made the story progress quickly and helped to keep my attention throughout the entire novel.
The magic is really interesting in this world. I am very curious to learn more about it as the series progresses, because I do not think we got a full picture yet with just this first installment.
I am heavily invested in this story, and I cannot wait to pick up the next book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual content and War

jmelauren's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No

2.0

I didn't like this one. It just didn't give me those exquisite angsty feelings that Cassandra Clare usually gives me. 

I'm bumping this up a star because even though I didn't like it, something kept me coming back. Probably the main male character. Usually if there's only one character I like I would dnf, but I just really liked Kel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Classism

Moderate: Toxic friendship and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content

celery's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

susanatherly's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail

arrr's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

It took me a few chapters to get into this book. A lot of initial setting up of characters and world building. But it's very worth it! Hope I get to read more about these characters. 

Physician confronts systemic inequity and bigotry inside and outside her own culture on order to learn what she needs to save as life. 

This struggle is cast against the wasteful leisurely wonderfully queer lives of the royals and the guards tasked with keeping them alive. 

The magic is powerful. I want to explore more of this huge world. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War, and Classism

lilifane's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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

4.0

That was surprisingly fun. 
It is a little too long and info dumpy at the beginning, but I enjoyed it a lot and couldn't put it down in the end.  I'm still confused by the very obvious inspirations for the nations in this world. They feel rather cliché and like lazy world building, although the other parts of the world (the history/myths/magic) are really cool and interesting. I'm definitely curious how the mystery regarding the magic and the prophecies will unfold. 
I really like the main characters, I'm intrigued (but also a little frustrated) by their dynamics. Even though a few scenes felt weirdly out of character. Curious about some of the side characters, who have a lot of potential, too. 
As for the plot... there was a lot of getting to know the characters and the political atmosphere first, and it felt like the plot wasn't going anywhere. But it definitely picked up towards the end and held some surprises. It's funny how I expected certain things to happen, but then they happened in a way I wasn't expecting. So that was fun. 
What was not fun, was one cruel development at the end. I get why it is there and what it means to the plot. But it involves a child, and I really think it didn't need to be one. Feels like a cheap method to create shock value, tbh. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Medical content, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Suicide and Death of parent