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jhbandcats's review against another edition
- 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
After two books with the main characters of Cordelia Naismith and Aral Vorkosigan, this and Barrayar, the story moves eighteen years in the future where their son Miles is the main character and his parents have become bit players. I love both Cordelia and Aral, and I wish there had been more books written about them. Miles is a lot of fun, but he’s an agent of chaos - he moves from one disaster to another - and it’s exciting but tiring. There’s lots of chaos here, too, but … um …. maybe more controlled? I’m not sure how to describe it.
In any case, this is probably my favorite sci-fi series of all.
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
antropomorficzny's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Confinement, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
davidsonrachel6's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Chronic illness, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Abortion, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape and Suicidal thoughts
obviousthings's review against another edition
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Gore, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit, Abortion, and Pregnancy
blacksphinx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and War
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
pvbobrien's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Moderate: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Alcohol
km_reads_and_edits's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"... I've always tried to walk the path of honour. But what do you do when all choices are evil? Shameful action, shameful inaction, every path leading to a thicket of death."
I have seen some reviews describe this novel as a 'romance'. I both agree and disagree. I feel as though this is a science fiction novel that has romance in it, rather than a romance novel based in a science fiction world - if that distinction makes sense. A significant amount of the plot actually revolves around political intrigue and manoeuvring. Cordelia, the POV character, gets caught up in this - and through the events that unfold, winds up forming a bond with a man who is supposed to be her enemy, Aral Vorkosigan.
"Well, I don't hate him. Can't say as I worship him, either." She paused a long time, and looked up to meet her mother's eyes square on. "But when he's cut, I bleed."
Cordelia and Vorkosigan's relationship is one that forms from mutual admiration and respect. How this tentative friendship progresses, and how they come to develop stronger feelings for one another, is beautifully done. Their connection, and how they navigated being somewhat 'star-crossed', was one of my favourite parts of the story. However, don't read this novel if you're after steamy scenes with heaps of sexual tension. Like I said, I would describe this novel as sci-fi political intrigue first and a romance second.
"The cup of victory; bitter on the tongue, heavy in the stomach, sad as defeat..."
Other things I loved about this story were the worldbuilding, Cordelia as a character, and - of course - the fact that it revolved so heavily around strategy and political intrigue. I'm a sucker for that stuff, so getting to enjoy it alongside a bit of romance made for a thoroughly enjoyable read!
I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes science fiction, obviously, but I would also recommend giving it a try if you're the kind of person who sometimes enjoys a sweet romance and other times enjoys a story about spies and wars and backstabbing. Because I would say Shards of Honour provides a nice blend of both of those moods.
Please check the trigger warnings before reading this book. This is a science fiction story where a war takes place. As such, there are naturally quite a few references to things like death, violence, murder, imprisonment, etc. as well as some mental health stuff like trauma, PTSD, and unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcoholism.
An additional trigger warning I would like to mention is that the "guns" used are actually "nerve disruptors" and can cause traumatic brain injury. This happens to one of the secondary characters at the beginning of the book and there is a lot of detail given in regard to his condition afterwards.
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, and War
Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Abortion, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
There is attempted sexual assault on-page but it is stopped before it can progress. There is no on-page rape. However, the previous exploits of the criminal are later discussed by other characters in moderate detail.octopus_farmer's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Rape, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, and Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia, Stalking, and Colonisation
f18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I feel like I may have read it before in a different book in the series but I haven't figured out which. Possibly the first time I attempted SoH in which I DNF'd it during the scene with Vorrutyer and skipped ahead to Miles' books, though I was reading the physical copy at that time and I'm not sure it also has it. Possibly I just found it online.
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual assault, and Torture
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse, Rape, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Colonisation
mention of execution