Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Murtagh by Christopher Paolini

23 reviews

daniber's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Body horror, Blood, and Confinement

Moderate: Murder, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Gore, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Child abuse, and Death

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

sanctuary_in_the_pages's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Animal death, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: War and Child abuse

Minor: Slavery

jasperchandler01's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Self harm

lizziaha's review against another edition

3.25

This book has a different tone than the original series and lower stakes. Because Murtagh and Thorn have essentially exiled themselves, they don’t have many close relationships, and other characters from the original series only make brief appearances. That being said I do love some of the new characters and I did especially love Alin’s arc. But this read more as a prequel than a fantasy standalone. There is necessary growth for murtagh and thorn, but I’m more interested in where it’s going to go than the growth itself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Religious bigotry, Trafficking, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Violence, War, Gore, Slavery, and Torture

Moderate: Classism, Animal death, and Abandonment

loveat1stwrite's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gore, and Death

Moderate: Torture, Confinement, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Trafficking, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Drug use, Blood, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, and Panic attacks/disorders

Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn, reflect upon the abuse they experienced as side characters in the original 4 books. This is reflected in Thorn's fear of confinement and panic attacks when in enclosed spaces in the current plot.

They are also drugged to become thralls as a plot point in this book, which is why I included the drug use/trafficking tags.

bethboo's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

5.0

Murtagh, Murtagh, Murtagh! I was so happy to return to the world of Eragon, especially in the POV of one of my favorite characters. In this book, you get juicy glimpses into his very dark past, how his connection with Thorn happened, the horrors that baby dragon went through, as well as what he's doing now. Murtagh encounters a skull amulet with some strange magic woven into it. He's not sure what it means but he's going to find out. Thorn and him venture beyond the Alagaesia we all know and love, to protect what he loves. 

First off, who knew lil mormon boy Christopher Paolini had it in him, to write a back story so dark?? Like I though he'd you know make it a little easier to swallow....but no. The shit that happened to Thorn and Murtagh was sick and I was wading through tears every single time. Especially now that we get to see the inside of their heads and learn how eager and good they are. 
Next, Murtagh is such a little rich boy and I LOVED getting to see how that affected his POV. Like he's constantly wishing for a bath, wanting others/servants to treat him as his courtly position is due, he's comfortable being in charge, and misses the food that comes with money. Its so crazy that he is so much more educated than Eragon, he knows much more of the world, but he was never trained in magic and knows much less than Eragon. Ughhhhhh What I would do to see Eragon all giddy to teach Murtagh a magic lesson!!

If Christopher Paolini doesn't return to this story I will kms

Nal Gorgorath was absolute horror, omg I almost threw up when they were imprisoned again. And the parallels with Nasuada in the Hall of the Soothsayer, OMGGG Like I can't deal with more bad things happening to these babies. Bachel was a good and spooky enemy. I'm excited to see what becomes of the big creature underneath the mountain...the country?? 
It's also cute that he has a brother that's an urgal now and he's all not-racist now and he understands family!! 
AND NASUADA!!! HIMM STAYING???? HIM CRYING ON HER!!! HE SPILLED HIS TRAUMA AND THEY LOVE EACH OTHER!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Torture, Blood, Confinement, Death, Gore, and Suicidal thoughts

offtheraels's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

This book has all the usual issues of a Paolini story and had NO RIGHT being that long—but I had SO MUCH fun re-entering this universe and hanging out with my fave broody, poetry-writing, dragon-riding bad boy with parental issues. It was also good to read a YA fantasy sequel/spinoff that admits to the extensive PTSD of its characters, and I would have liked to see more ~healing~ instead of the more ~trauma~ (especially with Thorn, has he not been through enough???)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Blood, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, Confinement, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Abandonment, and Slavery

Minor: Death of parent and War

kattila's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

dude, you mean to tell me the "enslaved guy who was enslaved and doesnt want to be enslaved again" is THAT careless when it comes to a cult he knows buys slaves and has a leader who's a powerful with? His decisions caused me immense pain whike the book othervise was great lol at least some good came out of tge temporary enslavement?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Blood, Physical abuse, Bullying, Slavery, Torture, Drug abuse, Animal death, Violence, Drug use, Murder, Death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Child death, Trafficking, Alcohol, Animal death, and Child abuse

squidburger333's review

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Child abuse

shinybookvibes's review

adventurous dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Grief, Slavery, Confinement, War, Violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse