Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Tensorate Series by Neon Yang

3 reviews

xoeybear's review

challenging dark hopeful 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, and Violence

Moderate: Infertility, Animal death, Child death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Blood, Colonisation, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Genocide, and War

rieviolet's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

3.5

I read the entire series one after the other in a couple of weeks and, on one hand, it was a good choice because the story was still fresh in my mind but, on the other, it might've been a bad choice, I think I got a bit burned out on it, especially given that I haven't read such a heavy fantasy story in a while.

The characters and their storylines were interesting but I think that we did not get a well-rounded depiction. Partly, this is due to the inherent shortness of these novellas, but it also felt like the author only gave us a rough sketch and left out some important scenes/moments to really flesh out the characters' personality and growth. 
Some relationships, for example, felt a bit out of blue for me and went from zero to ten in the blink of an eye, there were some development and depth lacking.

Also, I didn't particularly care for the last installment in the series, I'd rather have followed other characters than having to read about Lady Han's  backstory, especially because there were so many loose ends from the previous novellas.  

The worldbuilding is quite interesting and is also not overly difficult to grasp (I have tried other fantasy or sci-fi books that were so complicated and confusing that they made me exhaust all of my brainpower and I still couldn't understand a thing). I especially liked the way the theme of gender was included and explored in this fictional world, it was such a refreshing and impactful take.

In places, it was too much graphic for my personal taste, especially when describing death and/or horrible injuries, I really do not need that level of detail.

All in all, it was quite a different and interesting read but it didn't steal my heart away, so to speak.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child death, Police brutality, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Toxic relationship, Death, Animal cruelty, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Cursing, War, Racism, Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Gun violence

Minor: Torture, Dysphoria, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Classism, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Infertility, Excrement, and Suicide

painausten314's review

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-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? No

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Child death, Slavery, Child abuse, War, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Pregnancy and Sexual content