Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

17 reviews

irene2160's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I feel lied to.
This is nothing like ACOTAR. Like ACOTAR is so much tamer than this.
And every time you think that there is a flaw in the plot or some plot hole etc. SJM proves you wrong and makes you cry whilst she does it.
I feel bad for anyone who doesn't make it past the first book in the series. The idea that they never get to this book and get to read how everything is coming together ughhh
SJM must have written Aelin as herself because the way she hides things from the reader and reveals them at the perfect point in the book is just insane.

Poor Aelin, poor Rowan omg poor everyone I actually can't.
Also, I did NOT see Lysandra pretending to be Aelin from a mile away.
The ending with the silent assassins and the note that Aelin sent to the Ashryvers is just so typical of Aelin that you can't help but laugh despite what she's currently going through.

And when she's getting whipped on the beach omg....
And Manon's thoughts of hoping Aelin survives this just so she can then die at the time she's supposed to... It's giving Harry Potter but higher stakes and much more brutal.
FINDING OUT THAT MAEVE MANIPULATED ROWAN INTO THINKING LYRIA WAS HIS MATE...
Maeve making Aelin bow on the sand...
F*cking Lorcan man - I thought he had finally semi-redeemed himself but nope!!
Poor Fenrys...
I get why Aelin doesn't tell anyone her plans because she's afraid they'll try to stop her or she's worried they won't go to plan but the way that she only tells Lysandra about the fact that she's going to have to die and that she wants Lysandra to pretend to be her... and have Aedion's kids and pretend that they're hers and Rowans... that's dark man. Like imagine being Rowan and having to live pretending his mate is alive but it's actually Lysandra, and omg and not even consulting with Aedion - Has this flirting between Lysandra and Aedion not been true this whole time?
When Aedion realises all the people that Aelin has called debts back from to save Terrasen after he had shouted at her...
And I was so happy to finally see Rowan show off his power/skill to then have him just kneeling on the beach once Aelin was taken is just so heart breaking...
And the fact that they had gotten married two days prior...

I get why everyone is saying that SJM needs to leave poor Aelin alone and hope she doesn't come back in any other books because if she gets through this man...

Considering there's a whole other book it's pretty obvious that Rowan gets Aelin out but omg the reunion if they do
And then it's all just for Aelin to die anyways ://///

I think I got a little too into this review and could definitely talk about this for a good hour or more
5 starts - Nothing less for an SJM book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, and War

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Sexual assault, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Rape

tupeloallie's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, War, Cursing, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Torture, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Grief, Sexual content, and Kidnapping

Minor: Slavery, Gore, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, and Confinement

dalek_caan's review

adventurous dark 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

5.0

This book was so good, each book in the series just keeps getting better. The first half of the book was definitely a slow buildup but the ending is definitely worth it. I'm excited to see how this series wraps up in the last book.

Reading this one in tandem with Tower of Dawn was definitely a good way to take in the story for me. I would have been disappointed to have to read a whole other book in between this and the last book before the story progressed at all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Kidnapping, Blood, Emotional abuse, Death, War, Violence, Confinement, Body horror, Abandonment, and Torture

liesthemoontells's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.75

Toooooooooooooooooo longggggggggggggggg

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Abandonment, Blood, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Torture, Trafficking, and War

Moderate: Death

amethystbutterfly's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective 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: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Sexual content

infjkiki's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Confinement, Kidnapping, Torture, War, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Body horror, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Sexual assault

rafacolog's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Genocide, Murder, Racism, Violence, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Death, Sexual harassment, War, and Blood

ashleynp24's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

I loooooved reading this in the tandem read. It really helped to keep both stories chronologically and helped to break up some chapters.

My favorite part of this book was all of the connecting plot lines finally coming together. We got to see a lot of previous characters resurface and see how they mesh into the story.

Absolutely thrown by the fact Aelin and Lysandra prepared a scheme knowing she’d die and that she’d be pretending to be Aelin. The other one that got me is that Maeve???? The VALG QUEEN???? I already knew that Aelin and Rowan had to be mates but the fact Maeve created everything with Lyria was crazy it was like she was playing chess.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Cursing, War, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, Violence, Death of parent, Grief, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

britwalsh16's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

I read this in Tandem with Tower of Dawn. And I am SOOO glad I did! If I had to read TOD between this book & KOA, I would have died! & not enjoyed TOD, cause I’d be obsessing over what’s gonna happen with the characters in this book!
This book was sooo good! I love being able to read from all the different characters POV’s. 
I love all the couples & am so thoroughly enjoying them to settle in with eachother. The dynamics between the different couples are just amazing!! But Aelin & Rowan are still my favorite! 
But, all the revelations at the end, I AM NOT OKAY WITH THEM!!! This story really can’t end the way it’s leading to!! There has to be another way! I am not okay with that! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Death, Murder, Torture, Violence, War, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Blood, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Gore

Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, and Confinement

undecidedpersonality's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Death, Ableism, Abandonment, Sexual content, Body horror, Death of parent, War, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Torture, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Sexual assault, Genocide, Child death, and Rape