Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Book of Night by Holly Black

112 reviews

dreadspawn's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gore, and Child abuse

Minor: Incest and Sexual content

multiplyoctopi's review

medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Alcohol

Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Child abuse

dixiecarroll's review

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.0

Cons: put me into a 2 week reading slump, was boring, written poorly (and annoyingly) Pro: I’m invested in what happens and it was very readable. Gonna go ahead and say that I won’t be recommending this torture on anyone else though. *def read cruel prince though*

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail

amylynn44'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Violence, Classism, Body horror, Murder, Gore, Death, and Cursing

Minor: Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, and Confinement

jennn_3's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual content

Minor: Incest

ellenigrace's review

challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? No

2.0

Cool concept for the magic system/lore, but the plot was really confusing with too many characters, I don't love a dual timeline, and I didn't like the ending. The author told us the same obvious things loads of times but didn't explain a lot of the connections between characters and events enough for me to feel satisfied when the plot concluded because I didn't really know what I was meant to be waiting for. As other people have said, the main character is meant to be 28 but reads like an 18 year old.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Blood, Violence, Gun violence, Drug use, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Vomit

bcope84's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Murder, Death, Gaslighting, Blood, Grief, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Bullying, Child abuse, Addiction, Drug use, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

thehobbitbarbie's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Gore, and Blood

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Stalking, Classism, Death, Incest, Infidelity, and Sexual content

prosenheim's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Child abuse and Incest

falling_through_the_pages's review

dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

4.25

No spoiler review!

I think some authors have a hard time transitioning from young adult or youth books when they are so well-known and so good at writing them. But Holly Black managed to pull it off. It still has the same feel as her young adult books with a dark, grown up twist to this unique world in Book of Night.

Charlie Hall lives in a world of shadows and the magic to wield them. Even though she won't dabble in it herself, she had no qualms doing criminal jobs for those who do. She's good at it. And while she might be trying to turn her life around now, she's drawn to danger and the wrong choices like a moth to flame.

This book took a while to hook me. At least the first 50% of the book was good enough to keep reading, but nothing that special. The world building and magic we're certainly fascinating and unique, and that was what kept me going. Halfway through the book, I'd say the plot finally picked up. But the whole book is worth it for the last 20%, especially with this book being relatively short. The major plot twist was fantastic, and I felt like I should have seen it coming, but didn't. 

No happy endings for this book, but one of the best bittersweet last minute twists I've read in a while. I could see this going either way with a second book or a standalone. I would definitely read the next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Violence

Moderate: Gore