Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

7 reviews

sareidle's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A fun introduction to Persian folklore and fairy tales. I enjoyed spending time with the main character, Soraya, and watching her gain confidence and a strong sense of self. The beginning and end of the book were very engaging; I felt that the middle section lagged a bit. Overall, it was a nice read!
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squinnittowinit's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

Beautiful fantasy world based on ancient Persia. Story feels like a classic fairytale in the format of a novel, almost Romantic in style. Good character development from the main character, satisfying ending.
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glitterdeww's review against another edition

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

3.5

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a young adult fantasy novel that takes inspiration from middle eastern culture and mythology. It's plotting and world building feels interesting and well thought out, and the character growth of Soraya (our protagonist) is quite satisfying by the end of the story. There's also good queer representation within the romances that build throughout the book! I think in all the story accomplished what it intended. My only blanket criticism is that some aspects of the writing feel maybe a little bland? I'm writing this a week after finishing and I have trouble remembering some things that happened. Idk that the whole of the story will stick with me, but I did enjoy it. 
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jojo_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

4.0

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linesiunderline's review against another edition

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

4.0

I really liked the world building here, with the infusing of so many elements of Persian storytelling and lore. The universe of the story was rich and evocative. At times I found the pace felt a bit stuck, like we were swirling around in the same conflicts without much progression. Still, you don’t need to be a deep fantasy lover to enjoy this read. If you’re a fan of feminist fairytales, then this is one to try.
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reading_between_the_trees's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Soraya is born with a curse. Poison flows in her veins so that anything she touches dies. Her poison could be her greatest strength or her greatest weakness. It could make her fold inward or stand tall in power. I mean, what a premise. I was drawn into this story immediately, and every bit of wonderful literary potential was pulled out of this incredible set-up.

In a sea of patriarchal fantasy and heteronormative romance, this book was a breath of fresh air. Everything about it was feminist in the best way. The female bi protagonist drove the story with her flaws center stage right next to her self-reckoning and strength. But her moments of weakness were just as exquisitely written. It is just so hard to put the perfection of this book into words. Where is the sequel? I need more of Bashardoust's writing.
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beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • 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

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