Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco

9 reviews

hedonsgaybookshelf's review

adventurous dark funny 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? It's complicated

This high fantasy, gothic vampire romance checked all the usual boxes, but the central polyamorous relationship was everything to me! I loved following Remy as he worked through complicated feelings for BOTH Xiaodan and Zidan, coming to terms with being attracted to a man for the first time, gradually overcoming his internalized shame and guilt to ultimately receive love, care, and pleasure. The scene in the forest, I meannnnn?? Five stars just for the sex, honestly. There’s not nearly enough good queer polyam fantasy and I loved slutty poly baby Remy so much. The MFM polycule is really well done, not sensationalized or hetero-centric as is too often the case. Each of their dynamics was really thoughtfully developed and communication was good. Xiaodan is so patient and nurturing 😭 meanwhile stoic Zidan secretly cares just as much ❤️‍🔥. Lots of action scenes too which typically is not for me but the pace was good and I really enjoyed it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Blood

Moderate: Dementia, Chronic illness, and Sexual content

kitkatkatdog's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.75

A few parts I got one of confused, but overall very enjoyable. Whole thing reads like a movie, there’s a montage scene that I could visualize so nice as a movie montage, very fun!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, Body horror, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Cursing

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Chronic illness, Classism, Death of parent, Sexual content, Death, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Toxic relationship and Child abuse

kesreads13's review

adventurous 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

tifftastic87's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Ok so I really enjoyed parts of this. The problem is the main character kills me. He's so determined to have everyone dislike him and to take the blame for everything. It doesn't matter how many times people say "I'm not mad at you" he's like "I know you're mad and hate me now." Boy get it together. Take it from an elder emo. The side characters are so good though and the politics and the horror. Its just Remy fucking mopey ass Pendergast. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Vomit, Blood, Child death, Body horror, Alcohol, Bullying, Confinement, and Cursing

Minor: Medical content, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Adult/minor relationship

karambit's review

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense 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: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, War, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, and Death

Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Vomit, Infidelity, Chronic illness, Child death, and Drug use

analenegrace's review against another edition

adventurous funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Vampires are not a genre I usually read, and I was intrigued to read this as I haven't read many polyam books. I liked the characters' relationship in this more than other polyam books I've read recently, and I look forward to the sequel. The world-building and action were fun, although at times, I got bogged down by the sheer amount of information being told to the reader. I saw the twist coming, and I have to admit, I was hoping I was wrong, but I'm still interested in seeing where the story is going to go. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, War, Cursing, Grief, and Stalking

fifteenthjessica's review

dark 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

4.0

Between his father's rivalry with the current leader of the vampire hunters and the rumors that his mother was turned by a vampire lover while pregnant with him, Remington Pendergast is not the most well-liked Reaper, even if he is now one of the most effective. Soon a job only he was willing to take brings him into the sights of Zidan Malekh and Xiaodon Song, the leader of the Third Court of vampires and the heiress of the Fourth Court, who are hoping to form an alliance between their courts and the human kingdom of Aluria that Remy hails from. And Aluria will need all the help it can get when a strange plague is turning its citizens into a horrifying variation of vampires. Will Remy's trip East with the alluring vampire couple stop this plague, reveal the truth about his mother, and help Remy get over his belief that he is unworthy of love?

Rin Chupeco definitely knows how to craft an intriguing fantasy novel with complex characters that mix in the most interesting ways, but I'm still not sold on her skill at describing what is going on. Like the huas in The Bone Witch, the Breaker, Remy's main weapon, is hard for me to picture. It's called a scythe often, so I assume it has a more polearm like handle, but the way he's described as moving with it makes it hard for me to picture him doing it with a long handle. A picture on a variant cover suggests it is in fact a short handle and heavily inspired by real world weapons like Kusarigama, but it's never outright stated, probably because pre-modern Japanese weaponry is an obscure area of knowledge for most Western readers. Also, like when I read the Bone Witch, I found myself sitting there wondering "Wait, how'd that happen?" as a main character is described as having a serious injury.

Fair warning to anyone looking into book who are younger fans of Chupeco's YA novels, things get steamy. Most is completely consensual, but an important subplot is about Remy's affair with an older woman (possibly multiple) that is less due to any attraction Remy's feels for her and more because it's the only way to get information about vampire movement in Aluria that everyone admits should be given to him because he's a vampire hunter, but the woman's husband is a giant asshole. Nothing graphic, but characters definitely bang, and I know I would not have enjoyed that type of content when I was in my young teens.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Body horror

Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Infidelity, War, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Gore, Grief, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Kidnapping, Classism, Vomit, and Medical content

beepsies's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

First off, I loved the premise of this book! I'm here for vampires, for intrigue, for monsters, and science, and for a juicy bisexual triad! To say nothing of my penchant for a brooding hero learning what it's like to be Liked and Valued as a person! I found the plot entertaining and the writing to be enjoyable. 

However, this book took me ages to get through because I just didn't gel with the MC. I felt really good about him in the beginning -- he's been through a Lot, so it makes a lot of sense that he's deeply mistrustful. It makes a lot of sense that he doesn't know how to work in a team, that he doubts peoples intentions, that when a beautiful woman is sincere and kind to him that he latches onto her, and that he has a "one step forward, two steps back" kind of progression from time to time. He is, however, very stupid (bless him). 

I got frustrated with him failing over and over to put two and two together, to the point where I wondered how he managed to survive for so long in such a precarious environment. He seemed so capable when he was introduced -- damaged, sure, but skilled at his craft. As the story went on, though, I felt like he got more and more out of his depth to the point where when he's able to hold his own in a fight it came as a surprise to me.

That's a matter of personal taste, though, and I'd still recommend it to anybody hankering for a vampire story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Torture, Gore, Emotional abuse, Death, Chronic illness, Bullying, Blood, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Grief, and Trafficking

Minor: Xenophobia

The main character's father starts pimping him out against his will when he's very young in order to obtain information/maneuver politically around his personal nemesis. (I don't think an express age is given, but it's established that he was underage/too young to be in that situation.) It's not a /huge/ part of the book, and the acts are not explicit, but it, and the trauma around it, are discussed at some length, so that's something to be aware of if you are sensitive to that sort of content.

ashlikes's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Death, Gore, Violence, War, Alcohol, Grief, Blood, Body horror, and Cursing

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Chronic illness, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Medical content

Minor: Pregnancy, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Police brutality, Vomit, and Pedophilia