Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

16 reviews

mgdmcc's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I haven’t reviewed the rest of the series so far [that I recall] so this is going to be a bit of both a review of the book itself and the series overall. 
KOA is a long ride through a dark night. In the conclusion of this series all of SJM’s strengths and weaknesses are on display. The intricate world building, the poignant moments of growth for each character, and Aelin’s final stand against every force that’s been bending her life all paint an intricate and lovingly crafted modern fairytale. The overdrawn battles that feel like paraphrashed scenes from Lord of the Rings, the repetitive sparing, descriptions, the men being forgiven for doing and saying incredibly fucked up things to the women they claim to love, or “banter” that appear to be the same 5 lines repeated [if I drank every time Aelin “winked”, someone said “mate”, “scent” or “gods save us” after a throw away joke, I would have died of alc poisoning]; without most of these this book probably could have been shortened 10-15%.
  Aelin’s escape from the mask
, the women's growth into their power and the acceptance of the cost, any scene with Manon, and Lysandra saving everyone’s ass 500x are stand out moments to me.
Overall, it is clear Maas spent a large amount of time mapping out this finale to give her beloved characters an end she felt fitting [I still think Aedion should have been killed but I guess he just continues to breathe regardless of his uselessness] and close out the window on the first world she created. I think it was the best of the series, both a blessing and a curse.
Throne of Glass is a fantasy series that builds a beautiful fairytale of a woman who, despite all odds, refuses to back down from what she really deserves. It can feel hard to find fantasy these days that spends as much time really working through the trauma and beauty of wanting to be alive in these kinds of flushed out settings. However, especially as someone who has read her other series the recurring themes, tropes, descriptions, and sentences grow exhausting and lose luster. I genuinely enjoy Crescent City [well maybe the first two…less so the third] and ACOTAR helped me through a time I really didn’t think I would be able to move on from. Slogging my way through Throne of Glass had many highs and lows, but mostly it made me appreciate the other two series for what they’re pacing and character growth. Enjoyable, but not something I think I will be rereading in the next 10 years.
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infjkiki's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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denissc2736's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

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abigailchenoa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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

5.0

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biancarose88's review against another edition

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

3.5

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driftsread's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense 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? No

4.25

absolutely devastating, though the few last chapters ate underwhelming for me.

i did not like when aelin lost her powers, but i understand why it had to happen


i need more of manon blackbeak's story !!

im just so heartbroken for them and also hopeful
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cineladeras's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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amber_lfor's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

4.75

I would rate it higher if I could...I feel this is the best book in the series 
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axthan's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? No

5.0

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egeode's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-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? Yes

5.0

stuck the landing!! was cynical coming into this book after the tandem reading experience dragged for me (until the latter 25% of the story). despite this, i absolutely flew though this book. 

what an emotional payoff this series lends itself to! a neatly tied bow, makes me want to reread the series to appreciate their journey all the more intensely knowing how it all ends :') 

my favorite characters constantly shifted because they were each so unique and dynamic. 
while i have a slew of criticisms for the book (i.e. if i have to read "tawny eyes", "bloody ribbons", or "rutting" again i may weep), now isn't the time for me to levy them, lol. i really enjoyed this book.
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