Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Zodiac Academy: Shadow Princess by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham

13 reviews

shaykay's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

4.0

So these books are enormous. They are all 500+ pages, and for the most part, we are focusing on Tory and Darcy's story. We also have the same cast for most of these books as well. I'm finally grasping who is who when the POV changes, but this one, we are starting to pull away from the school some. We're starting to focus more on the world. I was obsessed with it because these twins were born into a family that's supposed to rule over this world that we have no knowledge of outside of school. Plus, we got to spend more time with the guys. However, things are starting to get stale with them. Literally, the whole time, it is like 3 steps forward and then instantly a million steps backward, and it's been really rough getting through all of this. I wish we started wrapping things up since these books are so ginormous, but it's like always waiting on the next foot to drop. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Self harm, Alcoholism, and Death of parent

unicornofthesea's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Bullying, Alcohol, Confinement, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

slyveimaeve's review against another edition

emotional funny fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Physical abuse, Death, Cursing, Blood, Sexual content, Abandonment, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Sexual assault and Suicidal thoughts

hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Murder, Self harm, Alcoholism, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Genocide, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence

csantos's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Sexual content, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Torture, Addiction, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, and Cursing

bblanka's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Vomit, Alcoholism, Blood, Kidnapping, Violence, Death, Bullying, Death of parent, Torture, Cursing, and Grief

crinkledmochi's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Chile…. 

I’m over it like I really tried to figure why I’m still reading this series like yes they are a mess and slightly entertaining but these books are truly bad (and problematic). Especially after having read this one in particular I can not keep going I just can not. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Bullying, Physical abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Self harm

Minor: Grief

katevhutchinson's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

The moment I started reading these books, I knew they weren't 'good'. I'm a sucker for a 'bad' book that's really enjoyable regardless. So the writing really lacks, to the point where there are odd exchanges of dialogue which slip out of character a lot for me, eg. Orion suddenly making exclamations and bouncing on his heels. Orion. Eternally serious, stoic and sexy, Orion. But having read the first 3 I knew this, and this book doesn't really pick up in that respect, along with odd typos and inconsistency in the magic system etc. Also in order to drill into us the characters, they get incredibly repetitive (Seth likes to touch people WE GET IT). I find myself jarring out of the story to edit the text, half the book could be cut out with the amount of unnecessary repetitions of tedious description. So I mostly skim read all of that now, it's just not needed.

Tory and Daruis are the most infuriating characters simply because I don't feel like their motives match up to their actions. Tory being an ice queen bitch and Darius bullying her just doesn't carry enough for me, like they could both realistically stop doing both of those things and then boom no more strife? Tory acts like Darius destroyed her life and I don't reaaaallly get that? In the grand scheme of things? With everything everyone's ever done to you your souly blaming THIS guy? I get what they were trying to do, but if you're that low and offered a way out of if you'd jump on it, no? You grow up with no love apart from your sister and the ACTUAL STARS give you a love forever and you say 'na can't trust him' ?? it doesn't make sense for me but, whatever you go with it.

We love Geraldine, a queen in her own right. In fact, so many of the side characters I feel are written way more consistently than the actual main characters (Sofia, Tyler, etc). 
I think myself, along with so many other readers actually prefer Darcy because she's far more well rounded than Tory, feeling a whole spectrum of emotions as apposed to just rage, which makes Darcy more engaging in my opinion.

The whole soulmate thing is also so confusing, why would Darius be Tory's mate but Orion isn't Darcy's? Why would your mate for life try (repeatedly) to kill you? That struggle is so confusing to me and seems like an odd way for the writers to create conflict in that. Surely the conflict based on the fact theyre Heirs is more true to the characters and not just ragingly hating each other. I DIGRESS.

 I actually eye roll when I see a Tory chapter, because its just her moaning for 5 pages (a bit like this review). I do love her sexual empowerment, and all the feminist vibes it tries to give us with Tory, however it just ends up falling a bit flat for me because it's giving self destruct vibes instead. Just wanna shake her and tell her to get a grip, really. 
Could have done without Max's chapters too, couldn't care less about him or his disheveled mohawk. But we march on.
It would have been a 3, but that 0.75 is for the fact that even with all of these things, I'm still gonna read the next one, and probably the one after that. And credit where credit us due for reeling me in. Mostly just want a Darcy book so I'm holding out for that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual harassment, and Toxic friendship

bekand1's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Blood

juliette_95's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse and Physical abuse

Minor: Death of parent and Child death