Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah

6 reviews

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Cursing, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Grief, Police brutality, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Murder, and Violence

patricktreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Where Darkness Blooms is a dark fiction story based in the town of Bishop. It is surrounded in mystery and turmoil. Every few years women go missing or turn up dead. Now the younger women are left, and they are starting to go missing, and they are the final generation. 

I didn't realize going into this exactly how dark it would end up being. I knew it would be semi dark, but it ended up being way more intense. However, it did truly keep me on the edge of my seat. I would absolutely recommend this to those interested in dark thrillers, but please absolutely check the trigger warnings. I kind of wish content warnings were given at the beginning. I feel it would help more readers be more away going in to make the reading experience easier. 

My arc (courtesy of NetGalley/Wednesday Books) was an audio, and I greatly enjoyed consuming the work in that way. In regards to the audio portion, I only really had one critique. I wish that at the beginning of the new chapters the character POV name would be given to help with keeping track of the character switches. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Cursing, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Stalking, Body horror, Gaslighting, Animal death, Body shaming, Gore, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Violence

chronicacademia's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Gore, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship

dogearedqueer's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Violence

Moderate: Police brutality, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Rape, and Murder

Minor: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and Death

oracle_of_madness's review

3.5

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!

This book is very strange, dark, and mysterious.  Luckily,  that is my favorite kind of book!

Bishop is a really small town that feels even smaller and narrow minded  the more I learned about it.  The prologue begins with a short preview of what is behind the darkness of this town.  Specifically it needs blood, and as it so happens, the sacrifices are always women.  

There are four main characters and four pov which is a bit daunting for a standalone.  They live together, two twin sisters and two other girls, in the house they lived in with their mothers before their mysterious disappearance.   This story is about fighting for the truth, their rights, particularly as women in a town ruled by men who seem to take as much as the blood hungry soil.  

I thought this was an interesting read and I really enjoyed it.  However,  I have a few thoughts about the ending but I don't want to include spoilers.   

Content warning for sexual assault and violence. 

Out February 21, 2023!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Gore

oliviagwynne's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? No

4.0

Where Darkness Blooms is a fast paced, tense YA horror. It was very easy to read and get sucked into. Like the town of Bishop, the reader is drawn in and the book won’t let you go. It has children of the corn and midsommer vibes but with teenage girl drama sprinkled in. 

The characters’ remembrances from over the past 2 years is what provides most of the secondary mysteries and secrets to uncover but it sometimes becomes hard to differentiate what is present and what is past. 

The 4 POV characters of the teen girls are well developed characters, easily distinguishable from each other and wholly formed being. Some are frustrating, some heartbreaking but they feel very real. I found it hard not to hate Jude. I get that she is a victim as well but she just collects secrets and doesn’t tell or help until the absolute end. She does have a good arc but it did not fully resolve her in my eyes. 

The story is not super mysterious for the reader because the pieces are easy to put together but it’s still super tense and compelling and despite being able to solve what is happening well in advance of the characters, you want to see if they will be able to get themselves out of the mess. 

The story made some pretty intense choices for a YA novel but it definitely helped the story be more thrilling. However, without stating spoilers, there were 3 choices the author made that were revealed or happened near the end that I felt lessened the impact of the story. I wish the author had committed more. The key climatic event was also incredibly lacklustre after all the build up. 

The only spoiler I must include is that I literally LOATHE the mothers. I could not justify their actions in the slightest and all the girls should have not have been able to forgive and forget that quickly. 

In all, it was a great story that I had a blast reading. 4 stars. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault and Murder

Minor: Gore