Reviews tagging 'War'

Une braise sous la cendre by Sabaa Tahir

83 reviews

apple_atcha_reading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

seforana's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

danaslitlist's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape and Sexual harassment

busyreading_579's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.0

I really liked this book. It was an overall good experience. One of the best things about this is that it hits the ground running and just sets the pace really well. Never, imo, does it get too fast or too slow. 
The characters are great. 
The only place where I would complain is the romance which at times felt strange, uncomfortable or even unnecessary. But since the romance wasn’t the most important thing it didn’t really impact my overall view or experience. I also really wish we got deeper world building. What we got was great but I kinda wanted to know more and I home that happens in later books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, and War

imskylow's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? No

4.5

Pleasantly surprised by this novel. I feel like I haven’t read a good political fantasy YA in a long while. All the characters have depth and emotion and the conflict feels real, too real at times especially with the genocides happening in the world. Laia is a fabulous FMC. She’s determined without being arrogant and unfeeling. She’s not a pick-me, she’s an I’ll-try-my-best. Elias is an intriguing character as well. A++

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying and Blood

ceruleanheather's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

“Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after.”

This book was one of those slow burn books for me. It started out slow, but interested me enough to keep going. The issue was that I listened to the audiobook on Libby to start with, and I had to return it before I finished listening! So of course I had to get the kindle edition. Thankfully that just happened to coincide with a re-read event the publisher was doing the ebook was on sale! Yay! 

Anyway, rambling aside, something happened about a third of the way through the book and I was hooked. I was so mad at some of the things happening. I had to keep reading because surely there would be justice? Then I realized it is a 4 book series...

Elias is definitely a tortured soul. He is a Mask, a soldier for the empire whose only purpose after graduating Blackcliff Academy is to be a soldier, yet he resists in small ways. He is loyal to those who deserve it, kind despite his upbringing, and also conflicted about morality and destiny. Elias is best friends with Helene, the only female student at Blackcliff. They have an easy relationship with one another, always watching each other's backs. However some feelings start to complicate things between them, and we see how their choices differ but the motives for both characters are similar. Elias feels more deeply than you'd expect from someone in his position, and I think that his empathy is ultimately what will continue to drive him in the next few books. Helene made my heart hurt.

Laia is fierce, though she doesn't know it at first. She starts the story as a very frightened girl, yet she has fighting instincts from the beginning. She is a Scholar, which ironically means she isn't supposed to be able to read and is also part of the lower class in this society. After some very traumatic experiences, Laia eventually finds herself seeking the help of the Resistance. This leads to her infiltrating Blackcliff under the guise of being a slave, but unfortunately this means she is the slave of the absolutely ruthless and terrifying Commandant. Her loyalty and love for her brother drive her, but she also eventually connects with Elias and that affects some of her choices.

The love triangle was definitely a plot point, but I wouldn't say that it drove the story. Instead it was more about each character's individual choices and morality. The story is very fast paced, with lots of action and information coming in from both perspectives. There are prophecies, mysterious hooded figures that seem to run the entire show, spies, betrayal, schemes, reveals, and just a dash of romance.

There is a lot of violence in this book. This world is based off of the Roman empire, and you can definitely feel that in the events that occur. There is slavery, torture, physical abuse, SA, threats of SV, and then you add evil creatures who supposedly did not exist coming back into the story. All of the violence was well written though, and does not seem to be there just for effect. It helps to set the atmosphere and make you feel deeply about the characters. 

Side note: If you liked The Hunger Games, Fourth Wing, and/or Throne of Glass I would definitely recommend this book!

I am definitely glad that I found this when I did, as the ebooks are cycling through going on sale during the re-read event!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape, Suicide, Abortion, and Death of parent

The Scholars are treated very poorly. Many are slaves, and many get treated like livestock. It is rough at times in the story.

juliapatt2007's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and War

Minor: Rape and Sexual content

marlene_suntie_helton's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

1.0

again the issue might really just be that I'm a hater but there is something wrong if rape threats are making me roll my eyes. bad writing, unclear worldbuilding, flat characters, terrible love square that overwhelms the actual (thin in and of itself) main plot, sexual violence as a constant random unaddressed plot device given nowhere near its appropriate weight.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Rape, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Minor: Suicide, Abortion, and Abandonment

mj1588'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail