Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

Une braise sous la cendre by Sabaa Tahir

35 reviews

otterforce's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.0

This book is a bit more graphic than my usual reads. There are some serious streaks of violence and sadism. If you’re concerned, check out the first chapter and know that it’s kind of light compared to what’s to come.

The story and characters are both strong though and the very bad guys doing very bad (and sometimes graphic) things never feels gratuitous. It often reinforces the tension and stakes or serves the story. There’s are so many good people to offset the bad. I wouldn’t say the story is hopeful, but it’s also not overly bleak or dark.

I can’t wait to see how this series unfolds in later books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Abortion

Minor: Suicide

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

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

theresamothinmyroom's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcohol

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

mikasana's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

Slow in the beginning but it picks up a bit and then goes full speed towards the end.

Honestly, the storytelling was perfect. I got really attached to Laia and Elias and their character arcs. And the villains?? Black hearted killers who couldn’t have been written any better (

shout out to mummy dearest

). 

The weight and finality of all the injustices this world festered really just slapped you in the face over and over as the pages went by. The tension from it burned me and had me fully entranced just hoping some good would prevail.

However, if you are looking at this first book expecting romance, look away. The two main characters don’t truly get to know each other in this book and spend much of their time apart. In fact most of the “romance” that exists is spent on

the giant love square (yes, not triangle) between the two main characters and their wooed side pieces. I find love triangles, or any semblance of them, completely unnecessary and distracting. It dampens the potential of the main relationship every single time.

Irritating.

This actually would have been a lower rating due to how irritated I was by the

love square

but that ending? A chef’s kiss. Perfection.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Rape, Trafficking, Pregnancy, and War

risten's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Self harm, Sexual content, Vomit, Stalking, Abortion, and Alcohol

lswan's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Murder

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Abortion

pumpkincore's review against another edition

I liked a couple of the side characters, but couldn't get into the main perspectives enough to wait for their appearances. The writing was fine, if a little lazy and predictable. The world building was lazier. Do it or don't.

There's an audience out there, and I've recommended it to several friends who I think would enjoy it more than me. I read the first half and then skimmed the second half for book club. Nothing caught my interest enough to make me slow down, so I'm not considering it "Read."

I am also desperately exhausted by the constant rape allusions, especially in a YA book. This book should have the characters aged up 3 years and thrown into adult fantasy. The plot doesn't fit the ages. I threw all of the CWs in graphic because they come up a lot and are intrinsic to the plot, regardless of how they're described.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Murder, and War

chronicacademia's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Gore, Hate crime, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail