Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Sabriel by Garth Nix

35 reviews

booksemmahasread's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Moderate: Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Medical content, and Pregnancy

caseybones's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This is my first time re-visiting Sabriel since reading it in middle school. Aside from a few details about the world of the book, I didn’t remember anything about the plot so in many ways it was like reading it for the first time. 

The world Garth Nix introduces in Sabriel is complex, and I finished wishing I knew more about it and it’s history. His prose alternately frustrated me with avoidable word repetition, and impressed me with beautiful descriptive flourishes. The whiplash was sometimes maddening, but not enough to ruin anything.

My primary critique is the lack of character development . Although Sabriel grows in knowledge and experience, her core character attributes remain mostly unchanged by the end of the story. Touchstone’s trajectory is similarly flat, despite the information we learn about his past and his parentage.

Finally, the romance between our protagonists felt predictable and unnecessary. Developed over the course of what felt like only a few pages, it’s based more on proximity than anything else. I wish their platonic relationship could have been solidified by the events of this story so that a romantic connection based on more than shared trauma could be explored in another.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence and Violence

Minor: Child abuse and Vomit

lucidstack's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

businesswife's review

adventurous 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Death of parent

mageofvoid's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Slavery, Violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Vomit

ejbiscuit's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Violence

cait's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious sad 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

nottooscarythanks's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Blood

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Vomit

chris_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

It's such a relief when an old book written by a man holds up.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Slavery and Death of parent

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Gore, Sexual content, and Murder

thenoboshow's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury