Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

9 reviews

cas_voogt's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

Good book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Blood, Body horror, Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Incest, Abortion, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Vomit, War, and Xenophobia

cvkirkpatrick's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Child abuse, Animal death, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexism, Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Rape, War, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Infidelity, Incest, and Child death

Minor: Confinement, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Blood, Excrement, Death of parent, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury

jayden_314's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

I cannot express how happy I am to have started reading ASOIAF. George R R Martin is a fantastic author and I feel so deeply encapsulated in the world whenever I open the book. I truly believe that there is not another author who has made me feel the way I have felt like Martin. The characters can be so easily hateable but the plot and story is so good that I can't even hate the characters. I feel like the world that has been built in this novel is so vast and detailed and I am never really left questioning something. I cannot wait to keep going because while I loved this book, the finale definetly did not have the same impact as Game of Thrones. A Clash of Kings is truly another masterpiece in this series and I recommend that anyone reads it. The world was expanded upon really well however I did feel like the majority of the characters do not have a fully completed arc (I know that it is a series but the first did not leave me with this feeling. Luckily I can just start the next book now but I cannot imagine waiting years for the next book to come out and being left with a feeling of incompleteness). I am excited for a few new perspectives that are introduced in A Storm of Swords (just wanted to mention that I love how the title is hinted at towards the end of the novel - 'a storm is coming')

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Grief, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Incest, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Confinement, Death, Torture, and War

Moderate: Excrement, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Cannibalism, Infertility, Mental illness, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, and Pedophilia

sav_22's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.0

This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is a very good read. Massive trigger warnings!! George RR Martin is fantastic at writing deeply flawed, disturbed, and fascinating characters. He does not shy away from ANY taboo subjects or content. If you loved the show, the books are insanely good at world-building and the balance of political drama vs fantasy themes. Very long, sometimes boring but overall deeply interesting and worth it for the character deep dives.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Genocide, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Pedophilia, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Grief, Incest, Torture, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Police brutality, Child abuse, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, War, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Ableism, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Rape, Slavery, Cursing, Violence, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Trafficking, Alcoholism, and Abandonment

Moderate: Body horror, Sexism, Body shaming, Drug use, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Blood, and Bullying

Minor: Abortion

samflowerv6's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-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? No

5.0

I love GRRM more than words. The battle on the black water seemed to go on forever. I loved Tyrion in the show but in the book… I honestly hate his POV. But I love these books and will be thinking about them forever!!

“People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it's served up.” 

“I will hurt you for this. I don't know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you'll know the debt is paid.” 

“When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say.” 

“He who hurries through life hurries to his grave.” 

I want to weep, she thought. I want to be comforted. I’m so tired of being strong. I want to be foolish and frightened for once. Just for a small while, that’s all …a day … an hour ...
...One day, she promised herself as she lay abed, one day she would allow herself to be less than strong.
But not today. It could not be today.” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Incest, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Vomit, Death, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Torture, War, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault

cepbreed's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.75

“A woman's life is nine parts mess to one part magic, you'll learn that soon enough...and the parts that look like magic turn out to be the messiest of all.”

Oh my god. I loved this book in all of its 1000 page glory. Martin continue to surprise me, even after watching the show I am so engaged in a plot I already know about because of the way he writes. The end of each chapter is masterful. Every cliffhanger still hits home, disregarding all my previous knowledge. I loved the foreshadowing as well.

Hearing the story of Bael the bard, only for his tale to come back in the form of Bran and co's method of escape was a detail I thoroughly enjoyed. I was shocked to see that Arya isn't cupbearer for Tywin in the book, but Roose Bolton. Still this tidbit of information had a much larger purpose, foreshadowing the Boltan's betrayal. To think Roose was most definitely plotting the red wedding in Arya Stark's midst. Even Bran and Rickon's death was heart wrenching to me, no matter how secure I was in the fact that they lived. I know it's stupid because currently he is less than scum, but I have so much sympathy for Theon. I know fully well that my feelings are highly exaggerated at this point because of his actions in the show, yet his desperation for validation is really tugging at my heartstrings. "I am your only protection against the likes of him, he wanted to scream." In no way am I justifying his actions, he is wholly unlikeable here, but at this point in time Martin is so obviously laying out his confusion surrounding his identity for us to understand. Like him or hate him, objectively Theon is an amazing character. Another dynamic I didn't expect to be so changed was that between the Hound and Sansa. It feels almost much more intimate from her perspective, teh romantic ideals of a young impressionable girl. Her head is filled with the ideals of 'true knights' and without any in existence she must project onto the closest match. I find the Hounds protective nature quite sweet, but that doesn't change his violence towards her when he was leaving after the Battle of the Blackwater.

I didn't like this book as much as the first, most likely my fault due to the amount of time it was taking me to get through ( 36 days total...), but the second half  picked up dramatically and I become fully immersed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Kidnapping, Violence, War, Classism, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Sexual violence, Confinement, Incest, Slavery, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcohol and Cursing

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pregnancy, Child death, Drug use, and Medical content

shiveryteacup's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Grief, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, War, Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Excrement

jenny_librarian's review against another edition

I can’t finish this.

It’s been 2 weeks since I put it on hold because it was too violently misogynistic and I can’t bring myself to pick it back up.

I liked the show, but the book is just way too much. And too long.

Also, have of the characters are literal children, which makes what happens to them downright horrific. Sansa is like 12, I think Arya is 10…? So the things happening to them are even more disgusting than in the show where they were aged up. I can’t believe how people can read this and not bat an eye at the horrors these kids go through.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Torture, Animal death, Gaslighting, Incest, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, and Sexism

moonybombadil's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, War, Emotional abuse, Murder, Rape, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Genocide, Incest, and Violence