Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

22 reviews

grac0n's review

dark sad fast-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? Yes

3.0

Trigger warning for this book: sexual assault themes. The power of manipulation, both in people’s minds and in their view of other people’s physique is a big part of this book. Levana, main character, is a broken child (15/16) who uses her talent for manipulation to coerce a guard to “love her.” Her most serious attempt occurred when she was 16 and the guard was 26? I skipped a lot of conversations where Levana is actively manipulating the guard because it was just close enough to r@PE to make the reader uncomfy. Plus also she’s a literal child trying to make an adult man desire her. It’s rough. She successfully coerces him into marriage. Their sex habits are alluded to, I think, but I was skimming still, so I do not know if she was still that young when they did it. This story is helpful to know why Levana is the way she is and how she got there, but it does a great job making sure you’re not empathetic at the end, which is important. If you decide to skip, it will not harm your reading journey for the Lunar Chronicles. </spoilers>

As a standalone novel, this book is meh. But taking into account the larger story at play, and that this is a backstory to a great villain in the Lunar Chronicles, it was not an unenjoyable read. Prior knowledge of the world is necessary before reading this book.

It’s a sad, heartbreaking story. The formation of a villain from a young princess who just wanted to be beautiful and loved. Same girl, but her methods are so wrong, and they’re what make her a ruthless villain. Marissa Meyer does a great job telling this brief story. It illicits strong reactions: sadness, disgust, horror, embarrassment, heartbreak.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Adult/minor relationship, and Death

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

janaya's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I’m giving it 4 stars because, for the sake the series, I thought it was a well-done book. It gave us information we needed and we could really see the development of Levana from who she was to who she became. But I didn’t actually like it… it was kind of hard to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Violence

Moderate: Infertility, Child abuse, Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Gun violence and Murder

tiana_king's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This was not a pleasant book and the fact that it pained me to rate it 5 stars is a testament to the author’s skill. You aren’t SUPPOSED to like this story. It’s tragic overall with villains that have few redeeming qualities.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Murder, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Body horror, and Body shaming

Moderate: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Child death, and Infidelity

Minor: Sexual assault

rsb12's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape and Violence

emma_zaruhi's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

reseña conjunta con zahi 🌙

dos cosas 
1. levana
2. te odio (lpqtrp morite) 

el libro está bueni pero esta señora me violenta y ojalá se caiga desde un séptimo piso, la atropelle un camión y por la velocidad se prenda fuego porque está traumada con el fuego y quiero que se queme viva 🌝

winter fetin amo, no se que te pasó que te volviste loca en cress

me rehúso a pensar que channary sea la mamá de cinder. es adoptada o algún cachivache lunar. no puede ser. 

</spoiler\> Evret y Solstice merecían un futuro juntos. levana te odio por arruinarlo. ojalá que se encuentren en el cielo y vivan juntos en una cabañita cute </spoiler\> 

al principio levana me daba pena pero después ya no. morite vieja.  
cuando se muere voy a hacer una fiesta con globos de colores y una fogata porque odia el fuego juju ❤

en conclusión levana =  psicópata de mierda 
:) 

(igual léanlo porque esta bueno el libro)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Murder, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

t_swizzle's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Death of parent, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death of parent, Infertility, Gaslighting, and War

Minor: Pregnancy and Violence

adi_rocks_socks's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Violence

maria_pell's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Stalking, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Gun violence, Body shaming, Bullying, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Confinement, Infertility, Infidelity, and Terminal illness

aidamaria_reads's review

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Fairest (part of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer) tells the story of lunar queen Levana. Honestly, if it had not been part of this series, I would not have wanted to pick up a book centred around such an appalling main character. Levana is severely damaged and grew up to become a madwoman, despite her trying to justify her actions with flawed logic. But anyone who has read any book of the series already knows that. It was nice catching a glimpse of Winter and Jacin’s backstory though, but overall this part doesn’t make it past three out of five stars for me.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War

itsmeyseniab's review

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

While it was interesting to get Queen Levana's backstory, I wouldn't consider this "required reading" for the rest of the Lunar Chronicles series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Bullying

Moderate: Murder and Violence

Minor: Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Adult/minor relationship

death during childbirth