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antimony's review against another edition
dark
4.0
i really really love elendhaven. and you may say "celeste it is described and cold and gross and smoky and like if a city was a factory. and the sun never comes out and the streets are always wet and the ocean is evil and it's full of awful people" and i will respond "it is dreary and wonderful and the ocean is evil!!!:)"
besides just the fact that elendhaven was like if you put a bunch of my favorite settings in a blender with a dash of Evil Creepy Powder, i really loved this book!! i loved the writing and i loved the characters. yes johann is awful but he really is quite funny. and the atmosphere was spectacular. yes things could have been developed more but that's kinda a given with novellas. i would LOVE to see more of this world!
besides just the fact that elendhaven was like if you put a bunch of my favorite settings in a blender with a dash of Evil Creepy Powder, i really loved this book!! i loved the writing and i loved the characters. yes johann is awful but he really is quite funny. and the atmosphere was spectacular. yes things could have been developed more but that's kinda a given with novellas. i would LOVE to see more of this world!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Murder
vigil's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
the venn diagram of comedy and horror is a circle.
the plot is mostly straightforward until you reach the ending where things get murky.
the plot is mostly straightforward until you reach the ending where things get murky.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
starship_olympus's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
The prose and imagery are absolutely wonderful!! Gothic horror just isn’t my cup of tea, hence the low (personal) rating. I can imagine though, if you love a dark protagonist in a spooky, pre-apocalyptic Gothic, Northern town, this is the book for you.
I did like the mythos and the world building! I’d love to learn more about the stories and gods of this world.
I did like the mythos and the world building! I’d love to learn more about the stories and gods of this world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Stalking
Minor: Alcohol
bsmucker's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual assault and Toxic friendship
Minor: Incest
From the description, I didn't expect this to be a dark comedy. The world reminded me of Dunwall from the Dishonored series, which is what drew me to the story and kept me invested, but the humor and the relationships among the characters wore thin near the end.natroze's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Murder
zaidana's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, and Murder
lua_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The book is a really fun and tense read with some good and interesting writing. The romance in it is very fun to read in a kinda intoxicating way (Do be warned that it's a romance between very twisted people, so it's really not the cute or lovely type of romance), theres a lot of witty back and forth, and tension between the couple. If you want to read a book that genuinely has a villainous main character(s), mysterious world, and engaging character relations this one is the perfect pick. (But maybe do look at the TWs first)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Sexual violence
sff180's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
btrz7's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Drug use
river24's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5/5
Where do I even begin? This is the most beautiful, well-written book that I've ever read. The writing is magical, every single line holds so much depth and emotion. I loved every single aspect of this book!
It's dark and bloody and so, so incredible. The relationship between the two main characters had me screaming in this venomous glee. It was–for lack of a better word–gloriously fucked up. Their relationship teetered precariously over the cliffside, swaying back and forth between the firmness of the crumbling soil and the black waters below. I cannot describe with words how perfect this book was. The relationship also reminded me a lot of the relationship between Hannibal and Will in the Hannibal TV show.
This book delves into a shadowed city with a vengeance at its heart and a monster on its heels. I always adore when books explore what it means to be a monster and what it means to be human, this book did so flawlessly in a non-explicit way.
Queer horror as a genre is something I always love and always come back to, please give me recommendations if you have any !! This book was everything and is something that I'll be recommending forever–I will not be forgetting about this book anytime soon!
I always stand by the fact that magic is a metaphor for queerness and I think that the horror genre often holds its own unique spin on queerness in its bloody jaws and both of those factors I am in awe of every single time.
This is quite a short book therefore this review doesn't go into immense detail because I don't want to spoil it, but trust me this book is worth your blood, sweat, tears and more.
Some of my favourite quotes were; 'Don't you feel it, sometimes? As if the world wants to consume itself.' 'Magic is not in the brain, miss; it is in the bones.' 'Thin ice isn’t a problem for the sea; it’s a problem for the blind idiot who steps out on it.'
Where do I even begin? This is the most beautiful, well-written book that I've ever read. The writing is magical, every single line holds so much depth and emotion. I loved every single aspect of this book!
It's dark and bloody and so, so incredible. The relationship between the two main characters had me screaming in this venomous glee. It was–for lack of a better word–gloriously fucked up. Their relationship teetered precariously over the cliffside, swaying back and forth between the firmness of the crumbling soil and the black waters below. I cannot describe with words how perfect this book was. The relationship also reminded me a lot of the relationship between Hannibal and Will in the Hannibal TV show.
This book delves into a shadowed city with a vengeance at its heart and a monster on its heels. I always adore when books explore what it means to be a monster and what it means to be human, this book did so flawlessly in a non-explicit way.
Queer horror as a genre is something I always love and always come back to, please give me recommendations if you have any !! This book was everything and is something that I'll be recommending forever–I will not be forgetting about this book anytime soon!
I always stand by the fact that magic is a metaphor for queerness and I think that the horror genre often holds its own unique spin on queerness in its bloody jaws and both of those factors I am in awe of every single time.
This is quite a short book therefore this review doesn't go into immense detail because I don't want to spoil it, but trust me this book is worth your blood, sweat, tears and more.
Some of my favourite quotes were; 'Don't you feel it, sometimes? As if the world wants to consume itself.' 'Magic is not in the brain, miss; it is in the bones.' 'Thin ice isn’t a problem for the sea; it’s a problem for the blind idiot who steps out on it.'
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Self harm, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol