Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Marionette by Antonia Rachel Ward

4 reviews

nittiotvaan's review

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dark fast-paced

1.5


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bookishdaylight's review

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dark mysterious fast-paced

2.0

 Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

This did not hit the mark for me and as much as I love the book's cover, this is something I would forget in the long run. I was neutral about what happened throughout the story because of the fast pacing with the character's lack of personality.

The plot is very bland and I suppose it was for the reason that this is a novella making the story rushed and unconvincing with the character's actions and their agenda. The instalove is another reason why I didn't like it, the characters barely knew each other and were already in love which made the execution disappointing, to say the least.

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our_bookish_reads's review

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

2.0

Marionette was an interesting read, if nothing else. It was a very quick, super short read as it is a novella and the premise was there, however the story could have been executed better.  Also, while there is sex, it doesn't come through as an erotica.
I love the idea of human possession through an object belonging to that spirit. I also love that the spirit was a scorned wife & lover set of retribution.

If this had been a longer book aith more information then I might have enjoyed it more.
Ultimately, this book wasn't for me.

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house_of_hannah's review

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

2.0

Thank you so much to Brigids Gate Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.

There are content warnings posted in the back of this novella that I will share at the end of my review. This novella actually starts out quite strong. It definitely feels like more work was put into the first 40% of this compared to the rest. The prologue, even though it was just a few paragraphs, is a perfect opener, and really gives us a taste of the vibes the rest of the novella will bring. There is no dilly dallying, and we jump right into (or onto) the meat of the story.

Unfortunately, I just wasn't into the plotline. It didn't feel original, or compelling. I had no reason to care about any of these characters, which I know can be difficult to achieve in a shorter story. The plot moved at the speed of light, with everything happening within just a few days. I bet the main character had whiplash with how quickly everything occured; what an interesting first impression of Paris !

One of the content warnings is dubious consent, but most of the spicy scenes just flat out have no consent at all. With the ages of the female characters also being quite dubious, the whole thing feels quite icky. All the men expect for the MC, George, seemed to be older men. George is 19, and the main female character, Cecile, comments that he is older than her, so it's possible she isn't even an adult yet. There is also mention of sex work being performed by a child, which had me do a double take.

Overall, this novella had a promising premise, but just included too many things that I personally dislike. I'm never going to be into love at first sight, and I prefer knowing that the characters are adults. There is quite a delicious revenge scene, which really shows off the horror aspect of this novella, but that alone cannot redeem it for me.

CW: References to suicide, violence, mutilation, sex scenes of dubious consent

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