Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

37 reviews

covergirlbooks's review

dark funny medium-paced

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

2.5

A band of misfits and con artists plot together to pull off an impossible assassination/theft combo. 

This world has some well constructed fantasy politics and each character has their own 
motivations in play. 

Maybe it's all the modern language used to write this book, or the cringey heavy focus on characters wanting eachother, but it just didn't work for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Sexual content

sierrat's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, and Classism

elizabeth_lepore'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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Genocide, Misogyny, and Sexual content

amateur_bookworm's review

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? No

5.0

My summary:

Five unlikely assassins are summoned together to overthrow the treacherous and evil king. Each of them has their own motivation, as well as deeply hidden secrets. The odds stack up against them as they band together in an increasingly difficult assassination attempt. But, remember, it’s only treason if you fail. 

My thoughts: 

This book turned into such an adventure! Like most fantasy books, I had no idea what was going on in the first hundred or so pages. It initially felt like a lot of characters, but as the story goes on, switching between the different POVs is my favorite part. It leaves you on such a cliffhanger in some parts when it jumps to a different character in the next chapter. Once I sorted out the who’s who of the book, I really fell into the rhythm of the story. And I flew through the last hundred pages. I can’t wait for the next book in the series and I preordered it as soon as I shut this book. 

I really came to love all the characters and the way they band together in parts of the book. Each character’s backstory is unique and complicated, which gives depth to the story. It’s hard to pick a favorite, because they’re all so different. Ok, so, really, my favorites are Sora and Royo. But, I do like all of the main characters. 

I had seen a handful of reviews for this book but the gorgeous special edition is the real reason I bought it. I adore the design on the sprayed edges. It is legit almost too pretty to read. I honestly mostly read this on my Kindle and stared at the book on my shelf as a trophy. 

There’s a pronunciation guide at the beginning (of the Kindle edition)! Ya’ll! At the start! Pronunciation! I don’t have to think “aghjhseh” in my head every time I can’t guess how to say a name or a place! And I don’t have to wait and listen to the audiobook to realize that I’ve mispronounced every single name! Please, every fantasy author, please do this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual content, Torture, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Infidelity and Rape

madam_tatas's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

This book was an incredible fantasy tale. Five liars and thieves come together for the plot of the century.

And in the end, they end up betrayed.

Other than the ending making me giggle because of a connection I made to something else, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the sequel.

Every one of these characters has their own secrets, and not knowing their secrets just makes you eager to read more and find out about them. Although they're all thieves or liars or murderers, you can't help but love them. Because none of them CHOSE the hand they were dealt.

All in all, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy adventure books.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War, and Classism

flyinglark's review against another edition

adventurous fast-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

3.25

I will admit it. My expectations were low on the discovery that this was published under Red Tower, but the synopsis sounded something right up my alley.

I liked the characters, they had their archetypes and fleshed-out motivations. Everyone had a secret close to their hearts. They checked off most of your original character questionnaires floating around. Some were likeable, and some were irritating.

What was delivered in the book differed from what was advertised.

There was more romance than plotting to kill the king. The story meandered on the journey to bring the six together and go to the capital. It seems the plot was moulded around the characters and progressing their relationships then the other way around.

The book was filled with many tropes. You’ll probably find one that appeals to you like

second chance romance, love at first sight, et cetera.

The world-building was a mixed bag. The world itself was carefully thought out, with various climates and accurate travel distances. The magic system is straightforward - the magic items will give you a gift but it comes with a consequence. But there was a lot of telling of the lore through the character’s POV. The world is filled with

sexism, classism, miscarriages of justice and a genocide mentioned. It left me wanting more discussion on those in future books.

Was this a well-crafted piece? No. The first-person POV became repetitive sometimes. But I still continued reading and found it comedic at times. One can say that the characters grew on me, especially when

they went into full assassination plot mode in the last arc

. It left me wanting to read the next book out next year. I hope to see more communication now bonds are formed.

POV: 1st Person (Multiple - Six in Total)

Author’s Trigger Warnings:

Violence, blood, death (including the death of parents, children, incarcerated people, and animals), poisoning, substance abuse, alcohol, sexual activity, animal abuse, gender-based violence, sex work, suicidal ideation, indentured servitude are depicted. Rape, assault, and graphic genocide are described.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Slavery, and Alcohol

Minor: Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

khaandre's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Colonisation

witcheep's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

This book offers an interesting story where a group of people need to find trust in each other even though everyone seems suspicious while plotting a regicide together. They need to figure out how to kill an immortal god-king; how to surpass the magic protecting him. The magic plays only a minuscule role in the book, and most of the intrique comes from skilled battles, plotting and scheming. The greatest mystery of all, however, is who these people are: what secrets lie in their pasts and what awaits them in the future. There are multiple plot twists coming, some of which are a delight to get right before the reveal and some of which I just didn't care at all.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, and Blood

Minor: Genocide, Misogyny, Rape, Terminal illness, Grief, and Stalking

kendal_reads's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal death, Drug use, and Sexual content

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

grayscale08's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad 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: Animal death, Cursing, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Confinement, Drug abuse, Infertility, Vomit, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol