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changelingreader_adrian's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Death, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Body horror
Minor: Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Cannibalism
rachel_jozie's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
*I’m not going to give you the ‘what this book is about’ blurb – you can read that elsewhere.
1. What a unique concept! I don’t want to say too much and ruin it, but this is, at it’s core, a love story. Not at all what you normally think of when you think of a love story; it’s not written about a partner, it’s written about the most pure love of all…and you’re going to have to read it to see what love that is 😊.
2. The setting felt like some sort of medieval Middle Eastern fairytale – if G.o.T was written by the brothers Grimm and set in Lebanon. Or if Aladdin and Game of Thrones had a love child. I really enjoyed the setting, it was much different than what I typically read, and I did have to go back and read some parts a 2nd or 3rd time because some of the lore, characters, or religious aspects were things I’m not familiar with at all and had to be sure to wrap my head around so I could make sure I was getting the full effect of the storyline. The Middle East is FULL of lore, legends, and spooky stuff, I really should look into more from that region of the globe, or maybe I’ll just let awesome authors like Mona bring a bit of their culture to me via their beautiful words.
3. I sobbed like a baby. This hit me HARD, and if you know me, you’ll know why. It is such a beautiful and heartbreaking read. Even thinking back on it now has my eyes a bit wet.
1. What a unique concept! I don’t want to say too much and ruin it, but this is, at it’s core, a love story. Not at all what you normally think of when you think of a love story; it’s not written about a partner, it’s written about the most pure love of all…and you’re going to have to read it to see what love that is 😊.
2. The setting felt like some sort of medieval Middle Eastern fairytale – if G.o.T was written by the brothers Grimm and set in Lebanon. Or if Aladdin and Game of Thrones had a love child. I really enjoyed the setting, it was much different than what I typically read, and I did have to go back and read some parts a 2nd or 3rd time because some of the lore, characters, or religious aspects were things I’m not familiar with at all and had to be sure to wrap my head around so I could make sure I was getting the full effect of the storyline. The Middle East is FULL of lore, legends, and spooky stuff, I really should look into more from that region of the globe, or maybe I’ll just let awesome authors like Mona bring a bit of their culture to me via their beautiful words.
3. I sobbed like a baby. This hit me HARD, and if you know me, you’ll know why. It is such a beautiful and heartbreaking read. Even thinking back on it now has my eyes a bit wet.
ashley__reads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book read like a confusing, dystopian, magical, dark, bloody video game and I absolutely loved it. Kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, full of desperation to know what was going to be on the next page. Kabbani has delivered hit after hit with her previous novel and novela and this one did not disappoint. She’s an auto-buy author and I would probably read this woman’s grocery list, which is probably written in a beautiful, fantastical way.
nedenz's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This one was a bit more cryptic than the others but I immensely enjoyed it nonetheless. I felt like I was just along for the ride without understanding what was happening until the end but being familiar with her writing, I was content with that, and it was well worth it at the end. I'm constantly impressed by her poetic and illustrative prose. Overall another smash hit from Mona Kabbani and I can't wait for more of her work to come out bcs you can bet your ass that I'll be DEVOURING it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gore
Moderate: Animal death
dragongurrl's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Loved it! Would honestly love more to this story. My only complaint is (and maybe it’s just my lack of understanding) I can’t seem to figure out what the deal was that she made.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Animal death and Animal cruelty
bobmetal's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
magpie_666's review
4.0
What a fantastic story. Very unexpected! I definitely recommend this.
It's hard to write a detailed review without giving anything away so I'll just say that the writing is fantastic. I love the descriptions of the world and people.
I'm 100% a fan of Mona's now.
What a wonderful story.
It's hard to write a detailed review without giving anything away so I'll just say that the writing is fantastic. I love the descriptions of the world and people.
I'm 100% a fan of Mona's now.
What a wonderful story.
stefanie_duncan's review
5.0
Muharib Ka, textile empress, finds herself amongst others for the hunt against the wightsights- humans turned monsters.
Every night volunteers arrive to fight these monsters in Bayarj and only the gods know why a wealthy heir joins this hunt.
This dystopian horror fantasy tale is fast paced and keeps you guessing on what exactly is going on. Beautiful written and I wish I could read more about this world. This is definitely a fresh story with horror and fantasy elements and the afterword by the author will make you cry. Well, it made me cry. I recently went through something similar.
Every night volunteers arrive to fight these monsters in Bayarj and only the gods know why a wealthy heir joins this hunt.
This dystopian horror fantasy tale is fast paced and keeps you guessing on what exactly is going on. Beautiful written and I wish I could read more about this world. This is definitely a fresh story with horror and fantasy elements and the afterword by the author will make you cry. Well, it made me cry. I recently went through something similar.
jake4916's review
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
bozzi1's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
4.0
Spoiler Free Novella Review
•
First and foremost, Mona Kabbani writes beautifully. For You is her newest psychological horror story and is a unique look at the value of a beloved companion.
•
What worked: I liked the characters; I was rooting for Muharib and her thrown together group of misfits immediately. The wightsights were a cool idea and très creepy. The end reveal was a good balance of heartbreaking and hopeful.
•
Where I struggled: There are some fantastic world building ideas here and I was completely invested, but there wasn’t enough space to fully flesh out those ideas. Because of that, the ending felt a bit disconnected from most of the story. I love a novella that leaves me wanting more, but this one felt more incomplete than I prefer.
•
Final thoughts: Overall, I did enjoy For You and would recommend it to horror/fantasy fans. I think some readers might feel the direction it goes is a bit of a let down, while others will absolutely love it, but either way it’s a worthwhile read.
•
PS-I would like to know more of the backstory of the Country, the wightsights, the hunt and Muharib’s journey leading up to this story and after. Soooo, if you could all help me harass…erm encourage @moralityinhorror to start working on a novel or maybe a series about that I’d really appreciate it.