Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Betrayal's Shadow by Dave De Burgh

1 review

theaceofpages's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-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? Yes

3.0

This book reads a lot like traditional fantasy in how it is written and carries both the good and bad of such books. It does, however, very much make it its own and spins off in unexpected directions at times (e.g. zombies). While I did like that we had multiple characters, I feel like there were too many of them for hw short this is. There are a lot of people to keep track of and a lot happening and it can et a little confusing at times. This is, however, the first book of a series and maybe things become easier to follow and make more sense in the next book. I also wasn't a fan of how misogynistic the world is (although at least the women aren't all vague helpless forms as they are in some books). There is constantly abuse being flung at them and it's a little uncomfortable. But that being said, the book definitely had an interesting premise and would have been a far more enjoyable read if women were not being beaten as frequently. Beyond that, I had a good time visiting the world that the author created. It is well written, even if it is upsetting at times.

Some notes on the abuse for those who need it:
If this is a CW for you make sure that you are in an okay place mentally before you read this. It is rather upsetting and very frequent. Probably the worst one for me was when a slave girl gets beaten, kicked and thrown around for eating something she wasn't meant to. But there are a lot of examples of men overpowering women (another is a man cutting and assaulting a prostitute who didn't consent to him "experimenting" and it's not easy to read. Especially when they take glee in it. Stay safe and don't read this book if you can't handle these kinds of themes. You will not enjoy it.
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