Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

15 reviews

snowiceblackfruit77's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny sad fast-paced

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

4.75

This book made me laugh out loud several times. I even got emotional a few times. The  Ending tough, why did we have to do this trope? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Body horror, Abandonment, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Violence, Grief, Murder, Self harm, and Torture

klsreads's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death, Torture, and Sexual assault

Minor: Death of parent

savvyrosereads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

Rating: 5/5 stars

The second book in the ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART trilogy, continuing the story of Evangeline Fox and Jacks the Prince of Hearts.

I LOVED this book. I read the majority in a single day and had the best time. Jacks is EVERYTHING I want in a morally grey YA fantasy hero (villain?) and there were lines in here so good I literally stopped breathing for a second when I read them (“There is nothing of equal value to me.”)

I can’t say too much more without spoilers, but I cannot WAIT to read book three. Highly recommend this trilogy!

CW: Violence/blood/injury; mentions of torture

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Torture

anni_swanilda's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Toxic relationship, Blood, Confinement, Violence, Torture, and Death

Minor: Death of parent

zoeelora's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Blood, Confinement, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Stalking, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Alcohol, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

britwalsh16's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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

It was such a good book! Couple things I called, and somethings I was so wrong about! But even then, all the twists at the end, I did not see any of them coming! I probably should have, but damn, they just kept shocking me! And that damn cliffhanger! Where’s book 3 already?! Gahh!!! I need to continue this story already!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Toxic relationship

Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Stalking, Torture, and Abandonment

esme_may's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Abandonment, Confinement, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent and Alcohol

maresuju's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Death, Blood, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Stalking

Minor: Abandonment and Torture

jen1804's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad 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

4.25

I very much enjoyed this book. I think there’s still quite a few holes which need filling and the writing style itself is still quite YA with short sentences. Sometimes I find that Evangeline’s thoughts and actions can feel innocent and feeble and I feel myself shoot back to picturing her as just a girl when I want to picture her as a woman. But having said that I do think this book ventured into darker and more grown-up territory in the best ways whilst remaining in YA status. I felt I was able to imagine the characters as older, ✨hotter✨, and a bit more well established than what I imagined in the first book. There’s more flirting, more skin to skin contact, and more ✨feelings✨in this book which I am so here for. I also enjoyed Evangeline’s character more in this book, I felt like she was just better and had a little bit more summin’ summin’ about her, though still needs a bit more development in my opinion. I’m obsessed with Jacks’ character, ugh, I love. Though he has gold hair in this book rather than his midnight blue from book one which I ✨struggled✨ with.
The plot is decent, it kept me engaged, there’s a quest vibe to it which I liked. We get lots of answers in this book but as I said earlier it also opens up lots of unanswered questions and leaves behind holes. Various plot points happen in the story which we just don’t seem to hear about again and I find that annoying. I’m really hoping all the loose ends get tied up in book three as I would be very appreciative of that.
The ending was great and Jacks’ decision of how to use the stones made my little heart extremely happy. The whole thing was left on a cliffhanger which I’m always a sucker for so I enjoyed that a lot!
Overall it was a great read, I just think in terms of writing style, narrative depth and character development I don’t get how so many people give this a 5 star rating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Murder and Torture

Minor: Death of parent and Gaslighting

pooogsz's review against another edition

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

5.0

It was good, easily read it in half a day

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Murder, Gore, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Moderate: Abandonment, Torture, War, and Stalking