Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

47 reviews

kassidyreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual content

Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Grief, Abortion, and Alcohol

emmabjones's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.5

A fun and mysterious fantasy book about a strong, young, and stubborn queen rising to power and trying to fix the mistakes of her mother and uncle. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, and War

grey_poppy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Perhaps a bit over idealistic, but an engaging read of a young woman thrust into great responsibility.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse and War

Minor: Pedophilia and Rape

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).

caitrisriding's review

This was awful world building, none of it made sense the way the author set up this world and story. The bigger con for me was the constant awfulness in this story, scenes of having sex with slaves, raping and murdering women, and child rape. It was disgusting and there was no way I was going to continue reading this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Rape

Moderate: Child death and Sexual content

thesenovelnotions's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

Erika Johansen's "The Queen of the Tearling" weaves a tale of political intrigue, magic, and a young queen's journey to reclaim her kingdom. Set in a dystopian future where society has regressed to a medieval-like state, the novel introduces us to Kelsea Glynn, a young woman raised in seclusion who suddenly finds herself thrust onto the throne of the Tearling.

At the heart of the narrative is Kelsea herself, a refreshing departure from the typical fantasy heroine. Strong-willed, intelligent, and unapologetically flawed, Kelsea defies the traditional princess archetype. Her struggle to reconcile her sense of duty with her desire for justice forms the emotional core of the story. Johansen skillfully develops Kelsea's character, allowing her to grow and evolve throughout the novel.

Supporting characters such as the enigmatic Fetch and the formidable Queen's Guard Lazarus add depth to the narrative, each bringing their own motivations and secrets. The complex relationships between characters, rife with tension and hidden agendas, keep the reader engaged and guessing until the very end.

Johansen's world-building is another highlight of the novel. The kingdom of the Tearling is a harsh and unforgiving landscape, plagued by poverty, oppression, and the looming threat of invasion from the neighboring kingdom of Mortmesne. Yet, amidst the darkness, there are glimpses of hope and magic, hinting at a deeper mythology waiting to be uncovered.

One of the most intriguing aspects of "The Queen of the Tearling" is its exploration of power and morality. Johansen poses thought-provoking questions about the nature of leadership and the sacrifices necessary to effect real change. As Kelsea grapples with the consequences of her decisions, the novel forces the reader to consider the true cost of revolution.

Overall, I found "The Queen of the Tearling" to be a compelling and immersive read. While the pacing can be slow at times, particularly in the early chapters, the payoff is well worth it. Johansen's richly imagined world and complex characters kept me eagerly turning pages until the very end.

As I reach the conclusion of this first installment, I find myself eager to delve deeper into the world of the Tearling. Johansen has laid the groundwork for an epic saga, and I look forward to seeing where Kelsea's journey takes her next. If you're a fan of fantasy novels that defy conventions and challenge your assumptions, I highly recommend giving "The Queen of the Tearling" a read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, and Abandonment

Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Pedophilia, and Classism

jo_cbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

First of all, this definitely shouldn’t be YA lol it is a bit too explicit and graphic, much better suited as New Adult or Adult but💁🏻‍♀️

I really enjoyed this book. I expected it to be 100% high fantasy but I liked the more dystopian aspect to it since I love history and we get to see a lot of that explored throughout the book. I did find that it was unclear for most of the book why exactly the crossing happened outside of the desire for a utopia but then I wondered how William Tear could’ve convinced people to come with me? I think answering that question should have happened earlier in the book rather than 3/4 of the way through. 

Kelsea (I found the name a bit distracting cuz it was the only super modern sounding one out of all the characters) is a great MC. I appreciated being able to watch her grow into the queen and being able to see her internal processing of balancing who she is a person and how she as a queen needs to be. I loved seeing the relationship between  her and Mace develop; it may not be friendship but I think it is far more important than that

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Trafficking

Moderate: Addiction and War

anonblueberry's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

I really don't know how I feel about this? It's messy and not always amazingly written, and there are some things that massively make me want to, I don't know, set fire to characters, I think.
But also there's some fascinating hints at world building that I want to understand. Which is why I bought the other two books for a couple of quid each off marketplace.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Trafficking

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape

Human trafficking is a fairly major plot point; the MC sees it as terrible and makes it her goal to abolish it, but as it's government sanctioned, many of the other characters are more lenient on it. Sexual violence, rape and pedophilia are very much the domain of "the bad guys" (and even the big bad finds the pedophilia abhorrent but allows it to remain as the perpetrators are useful) There are several depictions of battle violence. One of the characters is a survivor of domestic abuse and it's implied that she turned a blind eye to her husband abusing their daughter and possibly other girls in order to stay safe.

thebookvincicode's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

Minor: Pedophilia