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leenareader's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
I enjoyed the story for something that I usually don't read.
It covers dark topics and put you well into the ambiance.
It was a quick read as it is a novella and I think the length of the book is perfect. If it were longer it wouldn't have been as impacting.
The horror was light, which fits my taste as I'm not much of a fan of being scared. It was just spooky enough.
I enjoyed the story for something that I usually don't read.
It covers dark topics and put you well into the ambiance.
It was a quick read as it is a novella and I think the length of the book is perfect. If it were longer it wouldn't have been as impacting.
The horror was light, which fits my taste as I'm not much of a fan of being scared. It was just spooky enough.
asynonymroll's review
4.0
Marionette by Antonia Rachel Ward
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you Netgalley & publisher for the ARC!
This novella, holy wow so much in so little pages! A true erotic horror story. That was captivating, gory, creepy, and psychotic and I loved it.
our_bookish_reads's review
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.
If this had been a longer book aith more information then I might have enjoyed it more.
Ultimately, this book wasn't for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
This contains DubConhouse_of_hannah's review
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Death of parent
papermassacre's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Rating- 3 stars
Trigger warnings-
-Violence
-Mutilation
-Suicide references
-Incredibly dubious consent
Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC for free in exchange for an honest review
Things I liked
-The setting- historical Paris, filled with debauchery, whimsy, and just enough paranormal to keep things interesting
-The concept- the idea of seances, blended with a little bit of spiciness and a healthy dose of female revenge
Things I wasn’t sure about
-The characters- I genuinely didn’t care about any of them. The main romance was instant and one sided, and I think the book was too short (about 100 pages) to give any of them a real sense of depth
-The ending- it seems like it just happened? It left me kind of wondering WTF I had just read, not in an intriguing way, just in that it was underwhelming and didn’t make a lot of sense
Overall thoughts
-Marionette was fine. I read it in two sittings and enjoyed myself. I still think that it was just slightly forgettable, which is a shame since the premise was really intriguing. I think that it could have benefitted from being a full-length novel to allow the characters to be more developed and the plot to make more sense. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it without prompting, but if you are looking for something quick and kind of disturbing, it’s probably worth the read
Trigger warnings-
-Violence
-Mutilation
-Suicide references
-Incredibly dubious consent
Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC for free in exchange for an honest review
Things I liked
-The setting- historical Paris, filled with debauchery, whimsy, and just enough paranormal to keep things interesting
-The concept- the idea of seances, blended with a little bit of spiciness and a healthy dose of female revenge
Things I wasn’t sure about
-The characters- I genuinely didn’t care about any of them. The main romance was instant and one sided, and I think the book was too short (about 100 pages) to give any of them a real sense of depth
-The ending- it seems like it just happened? It left me kind of wondering WTF I had just read, not in an intriguing way, just in that it was underwhelming and didn’t make a lot of sense
Overall thoughts
-Marionette was fine. I read it in two sittings and enjoyed myself. I still think that it was just slightly forgettable, which is a shame since the premise was really intriguing. I think that it could have benefitted from being a full-length novel to allow the characters to be more developed and the plot to make more sense. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it without prompting, but if you are looking for something quick and kind of disturbing, it’s probably worth the read
rachel_reads_books's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
2/5 I enjoyed this book moderately, it was entertaining and the plot was intriguing but the execution was poor. The characters had no substance to them and I would have liked more development towards their personalities and backstories. The plot and ‘twists’ were easy to see coming and I would hardly call the novella erotica. It was more of an adult novella with some spicy scenes that were poorly written and rushed. I believe if this was a full length novel, both the plot and the personalities and backstories of the characters could have been executed better and with more detail. All in all, it was an easy and quick read that kept my attention but definitely could have been executed with more personality.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Grief, and Murder
gracingyouwithbooks's review against another edition
dark
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
3.0
jenyllerufin's review
1.0
Rating: 1.5 stars
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
The concept was interesting but the execution was not great. This whole book just seemed rushed. I’m not sure if it’s meant to be a novella since it was like 200 pages but I think it would’ve been so much better if it was longer, with longer scenes, and give the opportunity for the readers to actually get to know the characters. The romance seemed very forced and the plot was okay at best. I do love the cover tho it’s so pretty.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
The concept was interesting but the execution was not great. This whole book just seemed rushed. I’m not sure if it’s meant to be a novella since it was like 200 pages but I think it would’ve been so much better if it was longer, with longer scenes, and give the opportunity for the readers to actually get to know the characters. The romance seemed very forced and the plot was okay at best. I do love the cover tho it’s so pretty.
misch_is_bookish's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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? No
2.75
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