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thetayloredpage'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
Graphic: Gore, Drug abuse, Child death, Murder, Outing, Animal death, Violence, and Religious bigotry
emyyrose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Drug abuse, Addiction, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Homophobia, Death, Blood, Alcoholism, and Violence
amy_reading_23's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It's about Gabriel De Lion, a dhampir recounting his life to a vampire who has him imprisoned. He focuses on two tales, the one of his upbringing and the one of the adventure leading him here. Just when one tale comes to a cliffhanger he switches to the other.
I really enjoyed Gabriel's character. He is a destructive mixture of cynical, sad, fearless and hopeful, a man having lived an incredibly hard life. But although the book has dark and sad moments, he tells his story with humour and I couldn't get enough of it.
There were some bits I was unsure of, that made me a bit uncomfortable. E.g. I don't know why Kristoff felt the need to write such explicit sex scenes between teenagers in an adult fantasy book. That felt unessecary and having heard some criticisms of his other books I do have to wonder why he chose to do that. But other than that, the book was great and I'll be thinking about it for a while.
Graphic: Blood, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Death, War, Violence, Alcoholism, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, and Sexual content
simmich429'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
Graphic: Cursing, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Body horror, Violence, War, Drug use, Torture, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Child abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Alcoholism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
ravenfaerie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Violence and Religious bigotry
faefolkreads's review against another edition
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Violence, Addiction, Torture, and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Child death, and Gore
wildflower030's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Gore, Religious bigotry, Torture, Violence, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Abandonment, Homophobia, and Cursing
_calreads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Grief, Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry
yyooh17'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
“Hearts only bruise. They never break”
I fell in love with ALL the characters, nearly cried a few times and actually cried more than that.
The book intertwines 2 plots, his past at San Michon and years later as a man. These are linked through the 3rd plot which is the present day. The majority of the book is a retelling of the past.
As you read more, previous brief comments begin to make more sense and have a deeper meaning and you gradually understand why Mr MC is the way he is. I’d say try not to gloss over any details because it WILL be relevant later on.
Jay Kristoff appears to have gone to a writers workshop and applied EVERY PIECE OF ADVICE EVER, but better. Anything I could ask for in a book is here.
The illustrations are also gorgeous and really add to the descriptions in the novel.
I will add that there is quite alot of gore, violence and religious horror, however, in my opinion that is a staple of vampire fiction so it shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content and Religious bigotry
el_pender's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Misogyny, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, and Outing
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, and Child death
Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism