Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

16 reviews

h_scharff's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Suicide, Violence, and Trafficking

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism and Abortion

sparksofkell's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Sexism, Slavery, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Abortion, and Death of parent

This book handles really dark things and treats them as reality. The main character wants to change this reality and restore a semblance of justice but that doesn’t happen in this book (book 1 of 3).

alixcallender's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

For me, this book ticked all the fantasy boxes that I need to enjoy it. I didn’t find the story slow the way some others seem to, and all the mysterious backstory intrigue has worked on me as intended. I want to know more! However, I do take issue with a few things:

There’s a petty disdain for beauty (particularly feminine beauty) that is hard to ignore. It seems NOT to be an important fixture of the actual story, but rather a personal hangup for the author. Beautiful women are either Very Evil (Red Queen) or Very Stupid (Elyssa) or Very Sad (Andalie and Marguerite). The only beautiful women who are “good” and earn any respect from Kelsea have been horribly punished by the world because of their beauty (either as beaten wives or beaten sex slaves). It’s an old fashioned, deeply flawed take on feminism that current thinking has outgrown, and having it at the forefront of this book leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It’s demonstrated in Kelsea’s disgust for fluffy throw pillows and gold vanity mirrors - “girlie things??? Not for me, I’m nOt LiKe tHe oThEr GiRLs.” And I don’t even know HOW to address the problematic way Kelsea treats that *old and ugly* noblewoman who dares to think of herself as beautiful. 

For someone who was isolated for literally her entire life, Kelsea is surprisingly well adjusted and ready to just, like, take charge of a whole ass country. And as for the country, I certainly hope this whole Crossing thing is cleared up in the next two books, because currently there are some major holes. Where is this magically unoccupied landmass that modern America and England can run to and colonize? Was it a space voyage? Why are there only TWO doctors in the whole country?? They really couldn’t have figured any of that out in all those centuries? The gunpowder “went bad”(????) and they couldn’t figure out how to make more?

None of these things offend me enough to put me off the series entirely, of course. What I’m hoping is that a complicated groundwork has been laid, that will be expertly resolved within the next two books. Do I expect that? Well, not really. But I’ll happily give it a shot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Blood, Abortion, and Death of parent

themoodreader's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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

Moderate: Death

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

katrinarose's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful fast-paced

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

3.0

The characters are a bit predictable and one-dimensional and not a whole lot seems to happen over the course of 400 pages, but I still enjoyed it. It definitely feels like a set up to the rest of the series and I think it has promise so I will continue on to book two. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

amelia99's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Trafficking

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

kalmia31's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Deportation

Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Incest, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Classism

somelibrarychick's review against another edition

adventurous 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? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Trafficking, and Alcohol

imds's review against another edition

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

annevivliohomme's review against another edition

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

I'm pretty sure this was written by a man. It's sexist, unnecessary violent, and mentions nipples at moments that don't need them to be mentioned. The way the main character instantly falls in love with a pretty guy makes her seem very shallow. Considering her 'bravery', it's very much tell don't show, because she doesn't make the impactful decisions herself. Her power solely lies in accidentally befriending the right man, putting on a pretty necklace, and having a unknown but powerful father. Her parentage is one of the biggest mysteries in the book, because her intellect has to come from her father right? It couldn't be because of the woman who raised her, or because of her own insightfullness. Why does her one good quality have to originate from yet another man? Furthermore, additional male characters are introduced who play a crucial part to the plot, but they are too single-minded and underdeveloped to deserve all the words dedicated to them. And the attitude towards women?? It sucks. In the midst of a war, a central worry of the main character that she eats too much... The constant self deprivation was really bugging me. I personally believe that every person has beauty to them, and the constant tearing down of women (they're stupid, they're old, they're ugly, they're vain) irritated me to no end. Where is the woman hyping up other women? Why, when a queen rescues other women, are the pages full of jealousy and fear, and comparing yourself? I wish the author would realise that weight does not determine your beauty, and that women can be strong while still supporting those around them, and that a man does not determine your value. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, and Murder

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Genocide, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol