Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

25 reviews

kell_xavi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

4.0

Well-told for the most part, with believable relationships, challenges, and emotions; however, some emotional events carry on a bit long, becoming repetitive and overwrought. I wasn’t convinced of how the plot comes together around the climax, finding too many threads dragged out only to collapse in a surprising moment. Still, Cashore’s girl-driven fantasy novel is mostly successful, smart and sincere, tinged with fear and a good dose of comeuppance to powerful men who do wrong.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Torture, Pedophilia, Murder, and Violence

gillian_aftanas's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Misogyny, Violence, Confinement, Death, Murder, Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Sexual content

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Grief, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Incest, Kidnapping, Blood, Emotional abuse, Rape, Torture, and Vomit

Minor: Child death and Abortion

tigrelilje's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Minor: Sexual content, Torture, Murder, Child death, Animal death, Child abuse, and Animal cruelty

alexandrabelze's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious sad 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

3.25

i absolutely loved the pacing of this book. everything flowed perfectly together and i was never left feeling like things were moving too quickly or like we had hit a wall. cashore’s writing style is so unique, but i came to love it while reading. it fits katsa’s character so well! katsa and po’s relationship had me HOOKED mawma. i was also living for katsa and bitterblue’s (<3<3) relationship. so excited to read the rest of the series!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Confinement and Emotional abuse

Minor: Kidnapping, Torture, and Sexual content

nabecker13's review against another edition

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Torture, Vomit, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Death, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Stalking, Violence, Animal death, Blood, and Body horror

Minor: Child death

caseymac's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful 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? It's complicated

3.75

Low fantasy, romance

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery, Murder, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abandonment, Kidnapping, Torture, Child death, Child abuse, and Pedophilia

ottersilver's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

Know this is a first in a series which go very different directions than you’d expect. Don’t read the third book’s preview chapter, as I think it has a spoiler In it. This book has inspired me in ways I didn’t think of.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Vomit, Murder, and Torture

Minor: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Confinement

Spoiler

lots of violent fights between MCs with details

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Torture

Minor: Alcohol, Vomit, Sexual assault, Suicide, Pedophilia, Sexual content, War, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Incest, and Grief

Animal attack. Near drowning.

mallorypen'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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I had read this book before, several years ago, and it took me a few chapters to remember I had read it before.

I like the concept of the Gracelings, and I really love the characters of Brittleblue and Po. Katana, on the other hand … I wanted her to have a flaw. Being too hard on horses because she wants to get to her urgent, noble missions faster doesn’t count. Nor does being a killer for the man who raised you and has literal royal rule over everyone you’ve ever known, especially when you start a secret crime fighting/humanitarian Council to act against the evil king.

That said, when Katsa forced herself to carry Brittleblue into the mountain pass, it was damn cool and inspiring.

The relationship between Katsa and Po was really well done. I could go on and on about how hot/striking it was that Po have Katsa his most important ring without telling her what it meant … that was really juicy. I really enjoyed how Po dealt with Katsa figuring out his Grace, and the way they figured out their relationship together. 

I think the author handled Po’s blindness in a sensitive way; the line where Katsa mourned the fact that he would never look at her in the way she had fallen in love with was poignant and felt very real, even as Po was accepting his blindness and the way his Grace enabled him to see in a new way. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Death, and Child abuse

Minor: Torture

thelilgriffin's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

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

2.0

I thought this book was very boring. It was very slow paced with lots of travel. Not many good descriptions.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Torture, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault