Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

38 reviews

pacifica's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

4.75

THIS IS A SPOILER-FILLED REVIEW! I DID NOT HIDE SPOILERS!

i enjoyed reading ACOK much more than AGOT. this book in the series ramps up the tension and the stakes greatly from the first installment and despite all the pieces moving on the board, George R. R. Martin proves his skill by keeping it engaging, exciting, and at an even medium pace.

favorite POVs:

• Arya - she's my favorite character so no surprise there. Arya's chapters are just so clever. she really is a sharp little girl. her narration is full of both childish naivete and playfulness and absolute despair/horror. it's been said many times before that one of Arya's narrative purposes is to show the devastating effects of war and lordly politics on the common people, and GRRM does it masterfully here. can't wait for her ASOS chapters.
• Theon - it surprised me that by the end, Theon became one of my favorite POVs to read. he was admittedly very obnoxious in his first couple chapters (and violently misogynistic honestly), but by the end i really saw GRRM's reason for including his story. Theon's inner conflict grows with each of his chapters and there's just an underlying feeling of despair and dread. throughout the novel he's absolutely torn between two aspects of his identity/past, and you feel that no matter the choice he makes, he's doomed. i grew to sympathize with him and it made me so sad knowing that the next time we see him in the books, he's a tortured, broken individual.
• Tyrion - Tyrion really shines as a political player in King's Landing and his wits get the spotlight. i especially loved his dynamic with Cersei and how contentious it is. there are moments of small joy where it seems like they can be tentative allies, but then they stab one another in the back again and we're back to square one. really makes me anticipate reading her POV chapters in AFFC.
• Davos - though his portion in the book was smallish, it's great to see the Stannis camp and Melisandre through Davos's lowborn eyes. Davos possesses a simple nobility and uprightness without being pretentious or holier-than-thou. he's just a good solid guy and it's extremely refreshing to read him.

least favorite POVs:

• Jon - his chapters weren't as entertaining as his chapters from AGOT. i felt that his chapters meandered a lot once the Night's Watch leaves Craster's Keep and i didn't find myself as invested in each chapter.
• Daenerys - this mostly had to do with the setting of her chapters. Qarth is interesting to be sure, but not nearly as dimensional as the culture and characters of the Dothraki, which we spend all of AGOT with. also, knowing that Dany never returns to Qarth makes her chapters feel like a setup with no real payoff. i know she hears prophecies from Quaithe and sees important visions in her Undying chapter, but these could have occurred in any other Essosi location and left the series mostly unchanged.

final notes:
i didn't expect to cry in the last chapter, not having cried the whole rest of the novel, but i did. GRRM builds a quiet atmosphere that could not even be called bittersweet, though nor is it wholly bitter. it's just quiet and somewhat reserved. one of the best endings to a novel i've read in a while, i think. anyway, onwards!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, War, and Sexism

Moderate: Incest

avazee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Violence, War, Incest, Pedophilia, Cursing, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Trafficking, Death, Child death, Blood, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Infidelity

Moderate: Rape and Slavery

Minor: Rape

jayden_314's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I cannot express how happy I am to have started reading ASOIAF. George R R Martin is a fantastic author and I feel so deeply encapsulated in the world whenever I open the book. I truly believe that there is not another author who has made me feel the way I have felt like Martin. The characters can be so easily hateable but the plot and story is so good that I can't even hate the characters. I feel like the world that has been built in this novel is so vast and detailed and I am never really left questioning something. I cannot wait to keep going because while I loved this book, the finale definetly did not have the same impact as Game of Thrones. A Clash of Kings is truly another masterpiece in this series and I recommend that anyone reads it. The world was expanded upon really well however I did feel like the majority of the characters do not have a fully completed arc (I know that it is a series but the first did not leave me with this feeling. Luckily I can just start the next book now but I cannot imagine waiting years for the next book to come out and being left with a feeling of incompleteness). I am excited for a few new perspectives that are introduced in A Storm of Swords (just wanted to mention that I love how the title is hinted at towards the end of the novel - 'a storm is coming')

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Grief, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Incest, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Confinement, Death, Torture, and War

Moderate: Excrement, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Cannibalism, Infertility, Mental illness, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, and Pedophilia

sav_22's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is a very good read. Massive trigger warnings!! George RR Martin is fantastic at writing deeply flawed, disturbed, and fascinating characters. He does not shy away from ANY taboo subjects or content. If you loved the show, the books are insanely good at world-building and the balance of political drama vs fantasy themes. Very long, sometimes boring but overall deeply interesting and worth it for the character deep dives.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Genocide, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Pedophilia, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Grief, Incest, Torture, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Police brutality, Child abuse, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, War, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Ableism, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Rape, Slavery, Cursing, Violence, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Trafficking, Alcoholism, and Abandonment

Moderate: Body horror, Sexism, Body shaming, Drug use, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Blood, and Bullying

Minor: Abortion

atalea's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, War, Sexual content, and Death

Moderate: Sexual violence, Blood, Sexual assault, Rape, and Torture

Minor: Sexism, Mental illness, Infidelity, Incest, Cursing, Death of parent, Alcohol, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Child death, and Ableism

helenastinks's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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

Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Cursing, Gore, Alcohol, Grief, Slavery, War, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Incest, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny, Torture, Child death, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia

tanishqa27's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The book changed tonally drastically in the last 10 or so chapters, an indicator of what’s to come in the next book. But I really liked it and I cannot stop thinking about it. I fear the red wedding scene a lot. I want to skip it and maybe I will. Also, Theon you’re an ass. 
Okay so fav POVs in order (sort of)
1. Catelyn (MILF extraordinaire and literally the only one with a brain cell)
2. Jon 
3. Daenerys (House of Undying chapter ftw!)
4. Bran
5. Davos (the whole red priestess business, my man aged 5 decades in 5 minutes lol)
6. Arya and Sansa
7. Tyrion (fairly neutral on his POV though he’s so misogynistic towards his sister and Tysha, not to forget Shae)
8. Theon (he’s dumb of ass and I really do not like him)
Scared for the next book so I am going to take a few days and then start it 💀

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Rape, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Murder, Grief, Violence, War, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Incest, Domestic abuse, Death, Gore, Child death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Classism, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Body horror, Blood, and Animal death

emma6544's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.5

After listening to the first book, I was nervous to try the second book. However, I loved it. The plot  became more action packed and I became more invested in the Seven Kingdoms. I also liked the character development of Sansa, Ayra, Jon, Tyrion and Deneris. I also liked the introduction of new characters of Theon and Davos. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Violence

Moderate: Incest, Rape, Death, and Sexual content

plumpyherb13's review

adventurous tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

Moderate: Incest and Sexual content

averi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Incest, Classism, Death, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, War, Blood, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Violence