Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Le Maître des illusions by Donna Tartt

138 reviews

briochebun's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

4 out of 5 ☆’s.

“Love doesn’t conquer everything. And whoever thinks it does is a fool.”

ੈ✩‧₊˚

The Secret History has been on my TBR for quite some time and I am so glad that I finally put some time aside to read it.

While I cannot say that my life was forever altered by this novel (though my feelings on that may change with time) I feel as though giving it anything less than 4 starts would be doing it an immense disservice. Readers of TSH will be able to see the impact that the novel has had on the Dark Academia genre and I think that in and of itself is an incredible feat that speaks to Tartt’s skill.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Incest, Murder, Violence, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Outing, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Vomit, Xenophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Alcohol, Drug use, Drug abuse, Islamophobia, Medical content, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent

Minor: Kidnapping

bzzzzzz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

Generally enjoyed this. There's just about every content warning you could imagine, but they weren't being painted as healthy or good things. It was dark, but not in a way that made me feel slimy. I think it's meant to be chilling, though. The writing was magnetic. Good sentence structure and word choices. Lots of dialogue, but not in an intolerably slow way 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Violence, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Addiction, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Gore, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Murder

stinkeypasta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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

4.75

fucked up but in a good way I think??

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Addiction, Incest, Emotional abuse, Death, Cursing, Car accident, Racism, Mental illness, Classism, Antisemitism, Drug use, Murder, Gore, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Self harm, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, and Suicide

alyx7564's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Antisemitism, Classism, Death, Drug use, Gore, Medical content, Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Rape, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Biphobia, Islamophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Blood, Car accident, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

suzylit's review against another edition

dark lighthearted mysterious slow-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

I could have given this novel a higher rating if the pace had been a bit faster. The atmosphere and the characters are well built. Suspense and mystery are indeed present, yet there are a des lengthy passages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Gore, Murder, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Blood

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Self harm

Minor: Dementia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Islamophobia

littleredwinter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The characters feel like complicated, fully formed human beings. They’re not lovable per se but that’s the point. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicide, and Blood

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, and Murder

Minor: Homophobia, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Antisemitism, Mental illness, Grief, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse

One character makes homophobic and antisemitic remarks. The characters come from wealthy white families and it’s strongly implied in certain spots that their families are somewhat racist and classist.

kelseyr713's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

2.0

I appreciated this on a technical level, but there is so little happening (in terms of plot) from page to page and it’s just not what I’m looking for in the contemporary books I read. I love this level of detail in science fiction or fantasy or speculative novels, but I don’t think it’s necessary here.

It definitely made the English Literature major part of my brain light up again though. I was thinking about essay topics as I read (the amount of character analysis alone…)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Murder, Classism, Racial slurs, and Alcohol

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Xenophobia, Drug use, Abandonment, Incest, Blood, Car accident, Antisemitism, Racism, Rape, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Medical content, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Violence

myorareraa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I have to say that I went into this thinking it was "dark-academia-fun" but in it's first spin it was 1. true crime, 2. commiting crimes on a daily basis, 3. Incest, 4. sudden romance, 5. "betrayal?" 6. more death and at it's peak, homophobic and simultaneously, homosexual. 
I love this book, and I hate myself for loving it. 
A lot of people say, that the writing is too dense. It really isnt!!!! It feels like any person with a degree in English could have written this AND THAT IS THE CHARM BC THE NARRATOR IS A PERSON WITH AN ENGLISH MAJOR. 
The writing felt real and I did sometimes forget that this book is fictional bc of that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicide, Drug use, Murder, Death, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Gore, Cursing, Homophobia, Incest, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Sexual assault

itsapollo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

We're dealing with a story whose cast of characters are every one of them morally gray. Questioning morality and the fluctuations of one's own moral compass throughout various traumatic self inflicted circumstances. It's wildly fascinating. A tragedy where everyone loses. Where the product of their own choices may perhaps become punishment enough for the characters transgressions. The writing of this story is so intricately woven while at the same time only showing us the view from one Richard

"the bystander which I so essentially am"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Gore, Murder, Death, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Addiction, Suicide, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Antisemitism, Self harm, Racial slurs, Homophobia, and Racism

Minor: Sexual violence

anoushka05's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Murder

Moderate: Incest, Bullying, and Homophobia

Minor: Classism