Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

31 reviews

midnightverde's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

This fantasy novel is beautifully written. There are clues throughout the story to the mysteries of the lost city of Weep, yet there are still so many questions. The characters are full of depth and it’s easy to fall in love with many of them (and passionately hate others). There is a cliffhanger at the end of the book and I have to go put the final book of the duology on hold now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

Moderate: Pregnancy

victorious_one's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Rape, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

lizzy_lisko's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Grief

Minor: Pregnancy

lanid's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Rape, Slavery, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

maeverose's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Things I liked:
The story was fun. The writing is super pretty and atmospheric. So many quotes i wanted to highlight. It was very easy for me to imagine what was being described, and i loved that. I like Lazlo a lot as a character. I like anything to do with dreams so I loved that that was a big part of the story.

Things I didn’t like:
Sarai’s chapters/the citadel chapters felt super repetitive, at least in the beginning. I was often pretty bored during those chapters. As much as I love the writing, it is overwritten at times. I think this book should’ve been about 100 pages shorter, the pacing is very slow for most of it. Also the reveals were pretty predictable but I guess that’s not super surprising for YA. It’s also very instalove. Very mild spoilers for this next part (it doesn’t have to do with the main romance, just side characters): I didn’t like the non consensual kiss played off as funny because it was a girl doing it to a guy. If the roles were reversed I don’t think it would’ve gone down the same… It’s still sexual assault no matter who’s doing it. And then when it happens again later it was still very dubious consent at first. Idk it made me feel gross.

I hate everything about that ending. I hate minya so much. Please tell me she dies a painful death in the next book. And that sparrow is able to bring sarai back to her body with her powers and then sarai and lazlo get to live happily ever after. If that doesn’t happen I’m suing. /j

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Rape, Slavery, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

There was frequent mention of female fertility and ‘becoming a woman’ once you bleed. Personally it made me uncomfortable, as an afab non binary person with zero desire to ever get pregnant.

quasinaut's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.75

I bounced off this book a few years ago, but I'm so glad I came back to it. The first quarter of the book, though beautifully written and necessary to ground the story, is definitely slower! Once the journey truly starts, I was caught up in this fascinating and devastating story. I love the value placed on storytelling and fairy tales, the exploration of grief and vengeance, the combination of practical and mystical.

I can't wait to read Muse of Nightmares -- while also scared at how much it will destroy me!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, and Grief

Minor: Rape, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

cookiecat73's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Misogyny and Pregnancy

maddiebusick's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Child death, Rape, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Confinement, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

sarah_cameron's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

A slow start but the characters were  interesting and well fleshed out. The last quarter was executed really well and brought my attention back to the book, excited to give the sequel a go! 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

msradiosilence's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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

Tldr; I hate the age gap between Lazlo and Sarai, because it was entirely unnecessary as the characters speak for themselves. The setting is beautiful.

Read my full review at: https://www.rainyreader.com/single-post/strange-the-dreamer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Pregnancy