Reviews with content warning for Abortion - Une braise sous la cendre

Reviews tagging 'Abortion'

Une braise sous la cendre by Sabaa Tahir

34 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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bwgwave's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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ceruleanheather's review against another edition

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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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notapenguin's review against another edition

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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? Yes

5.0

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theresamothinmyroom's review against another edition

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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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talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

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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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amre23's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

This book was dark and violent but believe the start to a great story. This starts about a girl thrown into conflict larger than simply finding and saving her brother and a boy who is trying to escape the expectations and confines of his life. She is adamant to find her brother but constantly is navigating who her true allies are and how to complete the requests from everyone around her. He is constantly navigating between the "mask" he wears for everyone and who he wants/wishes to be.

The Dual POVs made the story progress faster. Was nice to see when the 2 main characters weren't interacting how their actions and inactions impacted each other.

At times could truly feel her worry and anxiety through the pages.

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