Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Vanished Queen by Lisbeth Campbell

4 reviews

madelinelindy's review against another edition

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

4.5

Evil king, political intrigue, and characters who are desperate to stay morally true despite the ruling tyrant makes this dual pov check all the boxes. The romance subplot could have been better it was very sudden and seemed more of a convince than an actual attraction match. 
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glenfleskie's review against another edition

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

2.25

do not recommend. it's not great , but ok enough to keep me reading. very predictable.  worsened by some terrible audiobook narrators. the man has this jerky cadence, and the woman is very strident and mispronounces like one word per page. 

also it's too horny, without any actually compelling interpersonal relationships or romance. 2.5 * so Far. 

none of the villains follow well-defined arcs, and are flat. I was proud of how early I guessed who a specific character was though. 
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bookmaddie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-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

4.0

is it bad tht i wanted more romance ??? lmaaoo
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The Vanished Queen is a really fun fantasy read—it definitely helped get me out of my reading slump! The pacing was solid—a bit slow to get started, but it really ramped up around 30% in and I was hooked. While the story isn't super magical, there is a lovely sense of adventure. I also feel like I really need to learn my fantasy subgenres because I always expect some form of magic, which isn't always the case.

Anza was a fiery and clever main character. I enjoyed seeing her learn more about strategy and how to stage a revolution. I feel like sometimes in fantasy main characters are followed blindly. But here Anza was placed in a position where her opinion was valued, yet it was clear that she didn't always know best. It was refreshing. Of course, I was here for her romance with Esvar, and his growth as a character throughout the story. Their youth shines through and makes you really root for them.

Overally, this is a fun fantasy adventure! If anything, I wish the romance between
Anza and Esvar
was given a bit more depth. It kind of developed over a handful of conversations, where one of them really dominated the conversation. I wish they were able to talk or exchange letters maybe like one more time.. though I see how that would be quite hard, considering the circumstances. Anyways, if you're looking for a quick and fun fantasy from a new voice, here you are!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy.
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mel91's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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? Yes

4.5

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