Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

174 reviews

macaroons06'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Thought this book was creative and interesting. I was really hooked by the author's style of writing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Death, Self harm, and Child death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Grief

Minor: Gore and Eating disorder

mrs_bastos's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Violence

vira92's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Death, and Child death

bri_of_the_shire's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.0

I was intrigued by the main character (disabled, mute female lead), but the writing just didn’t keep me interested. It had a lot of weird “familial blood” themes, and just kind of slogged through this sad gray life that only gets sadder and grayer as our main character tries desperately to relate to her newfound family. The supernatural elements weren't very compelling, nor did the narration, and I just didn't enjoy it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

styxx's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Bullying, Abandonment, Blood, Death, and Death of parent

juan_adhd_reading's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

As I struggle to write this review, I’m doubting if it really deserves 5 stars. Because the thing about a 5 star review is that it implies perfection, an exemplary book, a story that would be universally enjoyed. This book is not perfect and I don’t think everyone would enjoy it. But it was perfect for me; and so, it gets 5 stars.

The thing is, I just really love VE Schwab. I love how her prose can be both beautiful yet haunting: a shiny rose, vivid and colorful; its stem full of sharp thorns, tangling around a skeletal hand. This story was as dark, mysterious and fantastical as I hoped it would be. Though I wouldn’t describe it as fast paced, I was constantly kept at the edge of my seat, savoring the rich setting that is the Gallant manor along the way. The illustrations and the diary were beautiful, a perfect picture of Olivia’s parents’ relationship. This book, I think, will stay with me for a long time to come, and will probably remain one of my favorites of 2024.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Child death

Moderate: Ableism, Suicide, Self harm, and Death

Minor: Abandonment and Death of parent

sarah_shelf's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Blood

Moderate: Child death, Bullying, and Suicide

Minor: Animal death

Ghosts/the dead Powers over lifeforce/souls

theinkedpath's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

ES:

Mi último libro del año :)

La verdad es que Schwab nunca me decepciona. Historia de casas encantadas, fantasmas y misterios para acabar el año. Me pareció muy interesante el concepto de la historia y cómo la articula...además de que la protagonista es discapacitada (y eso siempre le hace escalar puestos en mi ranking). 
La única pega que le pondría es que se me ha hecho corto (y que lo he tenido que dejar por trabajo un poco de lado, así que perdí un poco el hilo. Pero este último detalle es cosa mía).

A pesar de lo que dicho anteriormente, me lo he pasado muy bien y este libro me ha envuelto completamente hasta el punto de no poder hacer otra cosa que leer.

EN:

The last book of 2023 and I could not ask for something better! Ghostly enchanted houses full of secrets and spirits! Give me more, please!
I loved the concept of the story and how it developed. It was very immersive and I loved that we had a disabled main character, which rarely happens. I was very focused on the story, even when, because of work I had to abandon it for a bit, but I could not do other thing other than reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Grief, Mental illness, Death, Blood, Ableism, Torture, Suicide, Physical abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders

justmys's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

An brilliant book that would be perfect reading on a stormy winter's night. 
Beautifully paced with intriguing characters and a bone chilling ghost story woven throughout. It's not a hopeful read, but it's a gift of a story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Death, Bullying, Medical content, Torture, Violence, Abandonment, and Child death

Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Body horror, Pregnancy, Blood, Ableism, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Terminal illness, and Gaslighting

rinku's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, and Death

Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, Death of parent, Mental illness, Self harm, Violence, and Child abuse