Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

24 reviews

onefineelephant's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

9/10. I really enjoyed this book. Not gonna lie, the beginning was pretty confusing and I was worried that it was gonna stay that way. However, after only like 3 (short) chapters, it got really good. I love the alternating POV. My only slight critique of this book was that there was A LOT going on. There were multiple complicated plot points and a lot of side characters but overall, I think the author did a nice job of having a lot going on but only enough that it advanced the story in an organic way. Also, the romance was nice, though I wish the characters were aged up just a couple years (not in a weird way, 16/17/18 just seems really young to be for the maturity levels of these characters). I am always a sucker for the "he fell first" and "he fell harder" tropes. Also, as a disabled person, I appreciated how the fmc's disability was incorporated and acknowledged. Definitely recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, War, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, Gore, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Medical content, Murder, and Torture

Moderate: Body horror and Child death

Minor: Abandonment, Ableism, Gun violence, Rape, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Cancer, Cannibalism, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness

luna_lovelace's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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? Yes

4.5

Let me just start off with the appreciation when representing people with cerebral palsy. FMC never once used it as an excuse but something that she works around because it's a part of her. 

I love Harper, she is such a courageous character that truly cares about people and goes through great lengths to help others. I also love Grey, he's loyal and

was the first to gain Harper's trust, which says a lot because he did technically kidnap her.

The book did end with a pretty heavy cliffhanger,

is Lilith still alive? What actually broke the spell? What are Grey's true feelings for the FMC?

I can't wait to read the next book in the series, very lovable characters that makes me root for them!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Death of parent

Minor: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and War

usjdjfnnffm2737's review

adventurous dark emotional funny 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and War

Minor: Suicide attempt and Chronic illness

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Death, Suicide attempt, Grief, Blood, Body horror, Ableism, Death of parent, War, Medical content, Chronic illness, Alcohol, and Kidnapping

Minor: Sexual harassment and Pedophilia

raypaws's review

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

3.75

thought i wouldn't like it too much at first , but it ended up being really enjoyable! i tend to enjoy fairy tale retellings so i may be biased, but it was a great slowburn and hard to put down :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture

Moderate: Death of parent, War, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Cancer and Chronic illness

taryn_g's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Death, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gore, Confinement, Kidnapping, Child death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Grief, and Cancer

Minor: Ableism, Gun violence, Vomit, and Infidelity

mo_books_read's review

adventurous dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I love the fantasy element and how it's a dual pov and with the female lead you truly feel that she is a fish out of water in the fantasy world. Also she has cerebral palsy which gives her a limp but she never lets it define/ makes her whole personality but it is there and she works around it and is still a complete lovable badass.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, War, Cancer, Death, Blood, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Murder, and Torture

thatbookbitch's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Violence

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Cancer, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and War

Minor: Self harm, Blood, Alcohol, and Vomit

diana_raquel's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

4.5

“The choices we face may not be the choices we want, but they are choices nonetheless.”

As I said in other reviews, Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales. Therefore, I'm always looking for retellings of this fairy tale. But I'm always very cautious because not everything that is marketed as a retelling is really a retelling or they are but they are really bad books. And so, I was reticent in starting this trilogy, especially because is a hyped one. It seems that, in social media, everyone and their mother loves this trilogy. 

Nonetheless, I decided to read it. And I ended up loving it! The bones of the original fairy tale are there, but it also can stand up as its own story. The characters are interesting and well-written (and there is disability representation, which is a positive point). The story is well-structured and the pacing is just right. I loved it! Its probably one of my favorite books of 2023. 

Overall, it's a solid story that I recommend if you're looking for retellings that can be their own story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, War, Kidnapping, Torture, Murder, Chronic illness, Confinement, Violence, Blood, Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Ableism, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny

Minor: Alcohol

hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Gore, Kidnapping, Genocide, War, Alcohol, Murder, Cancer, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Body horror, Death of parent, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Violence, Ableism, Blood, Gun violence, and Suicidal thoughts