Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout

12 reviews

glddstwmn's review against another edition

adventurous funny sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

This would be camp if it wasn't sincere. 

I feel like there was so much potential for a good story and it was completely wasted. 
I enjoyed the basis of the plot and the conflicts I felt made sense to the story line, but good lord, the dialogue is some of the worst I've ever read. Genuinely  Ive read ao3 fanfics written better than this. Everytime I started to think the story was getting good or it was redeeming itself, the dialogue ruined it. 

Idk how Casteel puts up with Poppy but honestly he is just as insufferable. All the characters personalities are flat, Poppy is "nOt liKe oThEr GiRls", a huge pick-me, and everyone just eats it up??

It took me until a few chapters into this book that there are two guys "Malec/k", I thought she was misspelling the name the entire series. Also both opposing queens names are too similar and it was confusing. These are all side characters that are only talked about we don't really meet them throughout the story so I felt that made it more confusing. 

The ending was a cop out, imo. once the twist happened in chapter 46, I just skipped ahead to the last chapter and read from there. 

I was really hoping that since they were married now, there would be some good smutty scenes but there was like 3? 4? and they were mid at best. 

Tbh, I think I'm avoiding this author from now on. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, and War

Moderate: Confinement, Infertility, Sexual content, Torture, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

chocolateturtle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, and War

Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Rape, Sexual content, Vomit, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

jennipea382's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and War

Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Trafficking, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism

abicaro17's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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

3.0

God this series has tanked for me. Like every other chapter had some sort of "major" revelation. I needed some consistency this book could not provide. The overused trope of Poppy being relatively innocent is getting old as hell too. I do enjoy how badass Poppy is and how much she is growing physically and emotionally but I swear this next book has to be better because I BARLEY made it through these last 50 pages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

prairieraven's review against another edition

adventurous 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

cait's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

mistress_of_fire's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Gaslighting

midnacine's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-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

This was so fun to return to as an audiobook! I'm excited to re-read A Shadow in the Ember with Stina narrating next!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Child abuse, Genocide, Rape, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Classism

cady_sass's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Oh, Jennifer. Can someone get this woman a better editor? 
I continue to be roped into reading this series because the first 100 pages are fantastic (leading off the prior cliffhanger) and the last 100 pages are fantastic (leading to the next inevitable cliffhanger. BUT THE 600 PAGES IN BETWEEN? My god. Repetitive and boring and took me nearly a month to drag myself through. But once it gets good it gets GOOD. Just, like, cut down the muddy nonsense in the middle by 70% and I promise you this book would be so much better. Same with the prior novels as well and, I can only assume, the next one. Which I will unfortunately be forced to read because, while I could state a million and one critiques about the writing here, she sure can write one hell of a cliffhanger and I am one hell of a sucker.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and War

alyssasaurus's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Blood

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy