Reviews tagging 'Death'

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

35 reviews

aseel_reads's review

adventurous dark 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

4.25

Super fun fantasy novel, big fan of the Italian inspired setting! I liked the characters a lot and I'm excited to see the magic system unfold here 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, War, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

astropova's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Gore, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Misogyny, Slavery, Sexism, and Medical trauma

briely'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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Blood, Death, Misogyny, and Body horror

Moderate: Slavery and Sexual harassment

Minor: Child death

kikaas's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.25

This was soo fun, I could not put it down. The world-building and plot were EXCELLENT. I loved loved the magic system and commentary around it, everything was clearly explained without feeling info-dumpy and the story was cleverly woven and super engaging from the first page. Not a 5 stars because of some minor issues I had with the writing and (pls don’t come for me haha) the characters. I liked our protagonist a lot and the concept of every character but I didn’t fall in love with them the way other readers did. The dialogues were entertaining for sure but there was 99% banter (and the word “scrum”😂) and 1% serious conversation, and I think it prevented me from connecting more deeply with some of the characters until the very end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Gore

kriti's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexism, Death, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Blood, Gore, Murder, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Colonisation, Classism, and Slavery

Minor: Child death, Cannibalism, and Car accident

jessthanthree's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: War, Blood, Classism, Death, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Sexism, Slavery, and Gore

Minor: Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Cannibalism, Vomit, Alcohol, Excrement, and Mental illness

jjjreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad 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? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, War, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Xenophobia, Confinement, Excrement, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Torture, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Slavery, Stalking, Suicide, Trafficking, Body horror, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Death, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault, Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Rape

laguerrelewis's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.75

I came across this book thanks to its mention in an essay about creative commentary through sci-fi/fantasy systems, in which it was lauded in the same breath as N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season. I am happy to report that it lives up to this comparison. The “magic” system of this book is incredibly unique and inspired, and Robert Jackson Bennett skillfully increases how complexly it is applied in a very rewarding way. His style is similar to Brandon Sanderson, with a nice balance of humor, despair, and optimism. And the best part is this book is basically a series of heists with ever increasing stakes and reality-warping magic! This would be a 5 star review if not for some politics regarding policing that feel outdated from a 2023 perspective and the handling of a certain characters’ trauma. I think that element could’ve been handled more tactfully. Ultimately, though,  this book was quite the enjoyable read, and I’m excited to read the next installment!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Grief, Alcohol, Slavery, Torture, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Violence, Vomit, War, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Classism, Death, Medical content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Cannibalism and Death of parent

lanid's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Blood, Body shaming, Classism, Sexual assault, Violence, Confinement, Death, and Body horror

aileron's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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: Gore, Death, Medical trauma, Violence, Slavery, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Murder

Minor: War, Confinement, Death of parent, and Cannibalism