Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

66 reviews

extravagantly's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

3.0

[EDIT original rated 3.75 stars, reason at end]

i’ve only read 5 of brandersons work, but i think this one is the weakest/my least favorite. not that it’s objectively, i just felt like for the first half of the book i was reading an alternate AU of mistborn. taking down the corrupt ruler, an unassuming girl getting some power, charismatic leader character, etc. obviously didn’t end up being the case but for a good minute i was not excited to read vivenna’s perspective.

i will say the magic system is splendid. very unique and just generally pleasant to read about. but the ending felt a bit rushed. idk if this is because i was reading it so quickly or if it was all happening too quickly. 

there were also some moments where it felt very telly and not a whole lot of showy. vivenna loves her sister so so so much… but we got no semblance of that before the inciting incident. siri is constantly told that she ignored her tutors lessons, she’s not fit for this, etc. got a lil old. also reading about every time their hair changed colors. i was like we get it

i very much enjoyed it. i’ve read 5 branderson books so far and im still shocked when somehow he turns the last 30 pages into a solid ending.

i very much recommend this book but if you are working your way specifically to clear his bibliography, maybe read this one later on, or as a break between his longer books

EDIT:

after thinking more on this book i had to bump it down a star because why [spoiler] did the villains end up being the oppressed group of people who just wants to get back at their imperialist oppressors? it’s a bit odd imo and it seems strange when mistborn is like the opposite of this one in terms of messaging. like bluefingers could’ve been a kelsier character who’s fighting for his people… 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture and Violence

Minor: Pregnancy, Death, and Murder

abrataydabra's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

I really liked this book! It took me forever and a day to finish it, but the plot twists, characters, and world were all incredibly well thought out. I liked how Siri and Lightsong grew to find confidence and strength in themselves and their eccentricities and all the plot twists got me every time. I had to reread Denth’s betrayal like three times because I felt sure I was missing something or was hallucinating. 

Some reviews tout this book as not being Sanderson’s normal quality and, since I liked it well enough, I’m excited to read more of his stuff!  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Minor: War, Slavery, and Abortion

mels_booknook's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Death

Minor: Sexual content

modernhobbitvibes's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

3.0

Took a bit to get invested, but once I was, it became a much easier read. Definitely the horniest Sanderson I've read to date, which was odd in places, but it could've been worse. I understand why people want a sequel to this one.

Also how the heck did Nightblood get on another planet

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Confinement, and Murder

Moderate: Body shaming and Sexual content

Minor: Religious bigotry

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I don't really know how I feel about this one...  The world building was, as usual for the author, impeccable and the magic system compelling, if a little confusing.  It was more predictable than I would expect a political intrigue ridden book to be and the romance sub plot(s) were kind of uncomfortable and cringe inducing.  There were times I was really enjoying it, but I think the overall take away was pretty mid.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Pregnancy, Racism, Body horror, Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Murder, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, War, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Cursing, Gaslighting, Slavery, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual content, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Stalking, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Trafficking

adragoninspace's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Death, and Torture

badbadwolf's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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

Moderate: Pregnancy, Torture, Gore, Grief, War, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Animal death, Child death, Body horror, Classism, Infertility, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Blood, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, and Animal cruelty

steven_v's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia and Violence

Minor: War and Vomit

cinhein's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

1.0

Single-handedly responsible for a 7 month reading slump.

The first Sanderson book that was genuinely a slog to get through.

It is distinctly mid-2000s in vibe (not complimentary).

The 'villains' being entirely justified but ThEy WeNt ToO fAr had to be tired when it was published. Now it reads like a bad joke. Sure, it would suck for the Main Characters but we've just spent 600 pages surrounded by characters doing their best to prove that they would deserve it.

And no, the sex slave-slaver romance will never work no matter how you try to justify it.

There are 3 good characters here, and I spent most of the book hoping that everybody would die violently else. Not a great response to trigger for a book with a main theme of 'war bad'.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Slavery

Moderate: Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Confinement, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Sexism, and Physical abuse

Minor: Miscarriage

takarakei's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

Wow! What a wild ride, especially with the graphic audio. I did follow along with an ebook as it was my first time reading this (and there's def some small bits left out of the GA, so I'm glad I did that - it was mostly inner-dialogue stuff but still a bit curious). The ending of this book really takes off and that especially on GA was like "eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!"

I just honestly had a GOOD ASS TIME reading this book. Really enjoyed the characters! Lightsong especially was just hilarious (also one of my fav tropes: the reluctant hero). The interactions between characters was fun to read, good banter. Sanderson is really good at writing distinctly different povs and then weaving them into a storyline that comes together in the end. THE MAGIC SYSTEM is SO cool! Felt like magic created for visual artists for sure.

The ending was what is described as a typical "Sanderlanche" where there's really a point of no return while reading and you're not gonna wanna put it down. So much happens at the end it's a lil nuts in a "I'm at 96% in this book and HOW is this gonna end" way - and how it does end is a little abrupt. Supposedly, Sanderson is going to write more in this world, and I could definitely see how that's possible with where things end (although it is definitely still a standalone so no worries about a cliffhanger).

So far... this is my top rated Sanderson book, but I've just started Stormlight and was told to read this before Words of Radiance (which I have HIGH expectations for).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Death

Moderate: War, Murder, and Torture

Minor: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Rape