Reviews tagging 'Death'

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

18 reviews

hippolyta_vi's review against another edition

I'm thoroughly enjoying this series, though I can't really put a star rating on it - a number won't die Libba Bray's storytelling justice. 

I don't belong to any of the marginalized communities she includes, but it seems like she really does them justice and that there was a lot of research and consultation involved in the making of the Diviners series. It's the dedication to her craft that will make me pick up the last few book in the series. 

One fault would be the length of the book. Some call for less perspectives, but I actually really enjoy multiple character perspectives. It keeps me on my toes. However, I could do with less of the POVs of random citizens falling ill or dying. I got it the first time, and the second time, I don't really need any more exposition than that. I guess it's purpose is to spook the reader? 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Racism

Minor: Blood

annakh16's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

A fun continuation of the series. 

This part is less spooky than the last one but I personally preferred that. It‘s mainly concerned with developing characters and setting up mysteries for the next book. 

I did find that this less plot-focused nature made the book slightly too long/slow. It was somewhat compensated by the fact that the characters are an absolute strength of this series. They are very likeable, their relationships are heartwarming (found family!) and so hanging out with them is fun even when not too much happens. Ling was a great addition, though I was sad to see less of Memphis in this book. I also enjoyed Evie‘s character development in this

, and the discussions of how she copes with her trauma

. 

The „mystery“ was less interesting - I had guessed

the fact that Louis was dead

almost from the beginning, though not

the role of Wai-Mae as the veiled woman

. Bray‘s continued nuance and comprehensiveness in discussing the historical realities of racism in relation to the sleeping sickness made this more compelling however - and this approach in general, also looking at her discussion of homophobia, trade unionism etc., remains a strength of the series. 

I‘ll be very interested to see how the mysteries set up here develop in the next book. I do hope the pace picks up though. 

(Also January LaVoy is great as a narrator - drunk Evie was hilarious). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Racism

Minor: Death, Trafficking, Police brutality, Alcohol, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, War, Homophobia, and Murder

guessgreenleaf's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Xenophobia, Body horror, Murder, Chronic illness, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Torture and Sexual assault

ashdawn's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

This one was even better than the 1st book in the series!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Rape, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, Death, and Outing

maddiereadswords's review against another edition

5.0

 Oh, this one hits different in a post-Covid world. :) 

That being said, this is still my favorite book in the whole series, mostly because I would both kill and die for Ling Chan, disabled autistic ace-spec mean lesbian extraordinaire. <3 I literally don't even have coherent thoughts about this book, it's just so fucking good!! It's fun, spooky, and it both breaks and warms my heart at the same time, and I swear every time I read it those 600 pages feel even shorter. And that final meeting scene?? These angsty 1920s teenagers are my Avengers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Trafficking, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Antisemitism, Confinement, Deportation, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, and Vomit

rainbeauregard's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Violence, War, Religious bigotry, Racism, Medical trauma, Death, Body horror, Hate crime, and Homophobia

Minor: Trafficking, Suicide, Sexual assault, and Vomit

jackierabbit's review against another edition

dark tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

This is the heftiest book in the series at 613 pages—and it’s obvious why. Bray immerses the plot in its surroundings. We don’t just see our characters deal with the sleeping sickness, we see people in nearby towns succumb to it, we see the treatment of Chinatown, we see the rise of the KKK and the beginning of popularized eugenics. 
Evie takes a backseat in this story to the lovely Henry and Ling, who’s friendship makes me feel like Gollum and his ring: preciousssss. However we do see Evie and co. and I hope Evie gets major character development because how she’s acting isn’t sustainable. Mabel deserves better, Sam is suave, Memphis & Theta are adorable, and Jericho…um…can walk off a cliff. 😁

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Body horror

Moderate: Ableism, Racism, and Alcohol

anntharai's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? No

5.0

I put off reading #2 because I was worried it wouldn’t live up to how much I enjoyed #1, but I was happy to be proven wrong. 

The grasp the author has on horror is nuanced and subtle at times and palpably visceral at others. 

I love the cast of characters, the people are so rich and full that I feel like I’m friends with them. I want to read everything ever written by Memphis, dance with Theta to Henry’s songs. I adore the addition of Ling to the story, she’s such a wonderfully no BS character.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Trafficking, Death, Ableism, Alcohol, Xenophobia, Racism, and Hate crime

Moderate: Alcoholism, Gore, Animal death, Confinement, and Sexual content

justagrlandherdog's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? No

3.0

While this book didn’t scare me as much as the last, I think that actually hinders the book more than helped it. There’s wasn’t a sense of urgency or a time limit that had me flipping page after page to find out what happens. The character development was good and I continue to like each character. Sam and Evie’s storyline was my favorite. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Vomit, Death, Homophobia, Trafficking, and Hate crime

ellanarose's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Alcoholism, Xenophobia, Alcohol, and Violence

Moderate: Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Addiction, Drug use, Hate crime, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence