Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

12 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

hannahdamigo's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Kidnapping, and Colonisation

Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, and War

luis_vieira's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Racism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and War

alexkendall's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Classism

da3m0nic's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, War, and Classism

netflixismyroommate's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-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

3.75

This book does what it sets out to do: tell a medieval fantasy war story. It’s just not attempting anything particularly original. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Fatphobia, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, War, and Classism

Moderate: Genocide, Mental illness, Slavery, Cannibalism, and Colonisation

Minor: Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry

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

singalana's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Xenophobia, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and War

Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

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