Reviews tagging 'Torture'

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin

51 reviews

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism and Classism

Minor: Chronic illness, Death, Torture, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

melis_salome's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Blood, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Self harm, Torture, Vomit, and War

gabrielle_reads_a_lot's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Death of parent, and Murder

crows_in_a_trenchcoat's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty, Sexism, and Torture

magnan1mouse's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Police brutality, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Self harm, Torture, and War

ajozna's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: War and Injury/Injury detail

rosy23white's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

Moderate: Torture

mpbookreviews's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

nytephoenyx's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

3.5

I thought A Magic Steeped in Poison was good, but not great. I appreciate the twist Judy I. Lin employed in this book, leaning in to tea as magic. My understanding is that the tea ceremony and traditions surrounding it are revered by many Asian cultures, and as such, I loved that Judy I. Lin gave tea this additional sway.

That said, the emotions were flat in this book. I’m not sure if it was intentional. The world was interesting enough to bring me in every time I read it, but the characters weren’t so compelling that I felt invested, excited, or disappointed. They simply… were. For that, this gets 3.5 stars instead of 4. The book was interesting and I’m curious to see where it’s going, but I’m not compelled to reread it or own it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Torture, Medical content, Grief, and War

The characters in this book and their culture is Asian-coded, albeit it is a fantasy story. The author is Taiwanese and currently lives in Canada.

bearbookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-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? Yes

4.5

Wow! A fast-paced, intriguing fantasy that I couldn't put down! I really enjoyed the way Lin threw the reader straight into the action and let the world build in harmony with it instead of just parallel to it. What an intricate magic-system, thought out political landscape, and cultural clarity. The characters presented themselves only in as much as the narrator/main character Ning could understand them, and this maintained the tension and suspense across the narrative as Ning's perspective melded with our own and our understanding of the text was guided by Ning's own emotional landscape.
It is infrequent that I find Young Adult Fantasy so spell-binding. I tend to get bored by the break-neck speed of the plot and crave more character insight. Lin, however, struck the perfect balance for a reader like myself. If you like a fantasy read with delicate and detailed magic systems, mystery, political intrigue, emotional depth, and class-based commentary, this is a read for you.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism