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Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'
True Crown - Die Lady und der Lord Magier by Olivia Atwater
13 reviews
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Can someone please tell me why we aren't talking about this book more? It is spectacular! My only complaint is that I didn't read it sooner. I'm truly not one for regency-era novels and I'm always wary of faerie tales (after being completely put off by several over-hyped fantasy series), but Half a Soul blew me away!
The characters are wonderfully well-rounded. From the very beginning of the book, you have a soft spot for Dora, whose soul was severed by a wicked faerie when she was a child. Her emotions are dulled and therefore she doesn't have the proper reactions in social settings and is frowned upon by most of society. It's easy to take pity on her at first and as the story moves forward, it's a thrill to find yourself feeling empowered by her lack of fear and determination to help those around her. She's the epitome of a badass female character and I loved her for it.
Elias is a grump in every sense of the word, but he also has a surprisingly big heart. While he has magic at his fingertips, he doesn't use it frivolously. Instead, he's an incredibly intelligent person who has worked hard to achieve his goals and uses his powers only for good. Having Albert as a friend gave great perspective because it's easy to think Elias is just a stuck-up prick, but you realize as you read that he's actually quite tender and good. His quotes were my favorite in the entire book. One, in particular, stood out to me:
The characters are wonderfully well-rounded. From the very beginning of the book, you have a soft spot for Dora, whose soul was severed by a wicked faerie when she was a child. Her emotions are dulled and therefore she doesn't have the proper reactions in social settings and is frowned upon by most of society. It's easy to take pity on her at first and as the story moves forward, it's a thrill to find yourself feeling empowered by her lack of fear and determination to help those around her. She's the epitome of a badass female character and I loved her for it.
Elias is a grump in every sense of the word, but he also has a surprisingly big heart. While he has magic at his fingertips, he doesn't use it frivolously. Instead, he's an incredibly intelligent person who has worked hard to achieve his goals and uses his powers only for good. Having Albert as a friend gave great perspective because it's easy to think Elias is just a stuck-up prick, but you realize as you read that he's actually quite tender and good. His quotes were my favorite in the entire book. One, in particular, stood out to me:
"There is such a thing as eveil in this world," Elias told her quietly. "It does not help to look away from it. It does not even help necessarily to look at it." His fingers brushed through her hair, and she shivered. "But sometimes, when you cannot force the world to come to its senses, you must settle only for wiping away some of the small evils in front of you."
As I read, I fell in love. I fell in love with the characters - however major or minor their role was. I fell in love with the sweeping dialogue. I fell in love with the mystery behind Dora's split soul. I fell in love with the romance and the way that it was subtle and sweet and everything I needed. I had a tough time putting the book down, which is an indicator of how much I enjoyed reading it. The moment I had finished it, I proceeded to add the next two novels in the series to my TBR. I can only hope they live up to how magnificent this one was!
If you're looking for a fantasy novel that doesn't feel like every other fantasy novel out there right now (in particular, the faerie ones), you'll want to read Half a Soul. It landed itself on my favorites list for the year without any questions asked!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a favorite book. I loved everything. (It isnt perfect of coarse but is quite close.) Everything. It made me think,laugh, stare at a wall for a couple of minutes straight. Everything.
It's very interesting how much society at those times affected one. It’s all about
the ^unsaid^, be very careful of what you do and what other people think of you out of worry for your reputation. Get a husband in time. Be polite, neat and pretty. Do not dare atract attention with anything other than light flirting, politeness and charm, do not dare be different, rumors about you will affect you and your family.
It's very interesting how much society at those times affected one. It’s all about
the ^unsaid^, be very careful of what you do and what other people think of you out of worry for your reputation. Get a husband in time. Be polite, neat and pretty. Do not dare atract attention with anything other than light flirting, politeness and charm, do not dare be different, rumors about you will affect you and your family.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Slavery, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Classism