Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn

7 reviews

dxmxus's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.25

While this is definitely a slower paced book, primarily focusing on world building and plot development, the characters are easy to connect with. Definitely a difficult book to put down, however, there are moments where the main character seems almost too naive. Readers see through much of the foreshadowing well before the character realizes the warning signs. 

I fully plan on finishing the series, however, I hope the next books focus more on character development as the MC feels somewhat flat and unwilling to learn unless absolutely forced into it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Murder, and Sexual harassment

rsmurphy22's review

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture and Sexual harassment

phangirl's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

3.5

C - 7; A - 8; W - 6; P - 5; I - 4; L - 3; E - 1.
34/70 (49%)

I really liked the concepts in this book. It really felt like it had do much potential but imo it fell flat in every way. The writing and pacing were decent at the start, but about 60% in the grammar started to drop off and the pacing slowed down a lot for me. 

when I finished the book I was so angry about the Morgan's complete lack of agency that I couldn't s op thinking about rhe book. There is literally no point in which Morgan makes an active choice or takes any action. Eg not drinking the potion (Draven threw it away), leaving (Draven made that happen), killing Florian (self preservation but is debatable), loving/liking Vesper (he enchanted her), etc.

It's not for me. The plot and 'character development' were predictable (and I almost never make predictions while reading), which is so disappointing! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and War

Minor: Body horror, Child death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Slavery, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and War

allisonamber's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

Definitely a slower pace but because of that it helps the world building. A different spin on Arthur and the knights of the round table mixed with fae. The FMC is very innocent and naive so not always relatable or a character with a lot of depth but I’m sure that will help develop throughout the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, and Death of parent

Moderate: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

linda_1863's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Author placed listing of Trigger Warnings at the end of book. Story is a retelling of Camelot/ Excalibur/ King Arthur and the rest of the characters slightly altered. Some characters are now female. The MFC is the older sister of Arthur who was born to a Fae mother. Her father forces her to drink a potion every other night. When her father dies and Arthur becomes King his true colors come out and he increases the  abuse she has endured since her mother's death. Arthur demands she takes on the task of locating Excalibur. The trip is long and challenging. The things she is forced to endure. 
Was this a worthwhile read? Yes. I would suggest you flip to the Trigger Warning page before beginning just to prepare yourself. It really doesn't ruin anything for the reader. It may actually save some people from trauma that may set in.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Stalking

Minor: Animal death and Death of parent

soniajoy98's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Infidelity, Slavery, Kidnapping, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

katielou26's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder