Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

9 reviews

sophieamreacher's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense 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

5.0

Amazingly complex world and characters. Definitely the start of a series with lots of information and setting the scene but I’m really excited to dive more into this world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

wyabook234's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny tense 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Torture, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Child abuse, Misogyny, and War

just_readsthings's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-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

4.75

50 pages of fluff could’ve been shaved off, hence the 0.25 star drop, but there truly aren’t characters like Abercrombie’s characters. 

I appreciate sticking to buildup work in this one, instead of attempting to make it a perfectly balanced book. It’s heavy in many senses but the prose is free from clumsiness and pompousness which both tend to plague the genre.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

Minor: Slavery, Trafficking, and War

nerdkitten's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Confinement, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, War, and Deportation

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Colonisation

lashette's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

 This was better than good but not amazing? I am intrigued to see where this is going. No one is really likeable, but everyone is either relatable or understandable. I was into the story from the beginning though we are dropped right in, no explanation whatsoever. Following seemingly random people for no reason. But each character is written in a compelling way. I'm not burning with the uncontrolled desire to know what happens next but I am interested to know. Also, boy is this violent. Mind the trigger and content warnings. Some of it is towards the main characters and some of it by them. All are morally grey at least. Definitely could've done without all the fatphobia. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

ratat0sk42's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

Anyone who like complex characters, gallows humour, and dark, gritty fantasy will love this book.

It has smooth and easy to read prose, and lots of style with a surprisingly funny edge to its narration. Every single character has depth and motivations that make you unsure if they're the good guy or the bad guy at any given moment.

One thing some people may take issue with us that the book doesn't really have much of a plot in the traditional sense, not much actually happens but I found the characters tso engrossing I didn't mind at all. 

Another thing of note is that the book is part of the First Law trilogy, which is less three stories that fit together than one big story cut into thirds, as such it doesn't really end, it just flows into the next book. If you read this book, you're in for the long haul. it's a damn good  though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Cannibalism, and Colonisation

Minor: Alcoholism, Grief, and Death of parent

strawberrypinch's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Suicide, Torture, and Kidnapping

Minor: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Xenophobia, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Classism

apiecalypsejen's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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

5.0

The First Law trilogy is my favourite of the two trilogies that take place in this world. The characters are definitely flawed, each of them in their own way with not one of them being clear or free of some kind of barrier or encumbrance to you calling them your "favourite" without some reluctance or guilt (aside from

possibly Brother Longfoot

). This story sets up the next two books, which means it is a lot of establishing of relationships, characters, and the basis for the

journey/war

that comprises the second book. It's a great story about men in their 20s, and how they can be hardheaded and too arrogant, and where that can take them, as well as has two excellent and deep woman character in Ferro and Ardee. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Xenophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Colonisation

Minor: Rape

13octopus's review against another edition

adventurous funny 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Minor: Infidelity, Rape, Excrement, Trafficking, Cannibalism, and Death of parent