Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

43 reviews

cheye13's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

The best thing I can say about this book is that the writing is beautiful. Stepping back, I can see what it was going for, but ultimately, I think it should've been a novella, or even a short story.

A big part of my disappointment is the fault of the synopsis. I had expected a bluebeard-like tale featuring the Bridegroom as a main character, but as is, he could've been removed from the story entirely. In actuality, this is the story of Indigo and Azure growing up together, and the all-encompassing nature of their friendship and the world they create together. It's an interesting story, but simply too long. Every element of the tale is overdrawn to the point that any initial tension dissolves.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Gore, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Alcohol, Child death, Dementia, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual content, and Suicide

Minor: Death of parent, Dementia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Pedophilia

a myriad of standard old-style fairytale content warnings, not graphically described, but consistently mentioned: rape, incest, murder, etc. A persistent predatory stepfather and an off-page sexual assault involving blackout drinking.

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Child death, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcohol, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Child death

Minor: Death of parent

meganpbell's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

If slow and deadly is your poison, pick up this sumptuous, gothic fairy tale. Chokshi’s flowery prose hides teeth, claws, and a dark heart bloody with not only the fairy tales we tell each other and the secrets we keep from ourselves, but the wild reckless hope of being loved when the truth’s laid bare. This was darker than I expected and reminded me of Addie LaRue in its romance and pacing, which isn’t a great thing for me but others might love!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Toxic relationship, Child death, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Bullying, Death, Child abuse, Alcohol, Body horror, and Abandonment

Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Eating disorder

displacedcactus's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

You can really tell this is the first "adult" novel from a YA author, especially since one of the dual timelines involves teenagers. If the idea of a story inspired by Gothics and fairy tales/folklore but set in modern times, but everything is so overwrought that nobody talks or acts like a normal person, you will probably enjoy it! I found the overwrought dialog really pulled me out of the story and the middle really sagged, but I understand why some people love it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Animal death, Blood, and Death of parent

The toxic friendship crosses over to abusive territory, IMHO.

moonchild_cos's review against another edition

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Animal death

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Child death, Pedophilia, and Terminal illness

Minor: Death of parent, Medical content, and Sexual content

prairieraven's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body horror, Sexual content, Bullying, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pedophilia, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, and Rape

themaxdog's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Blood

Minor: Pedophilia

katmystery's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

Fairytale-inspired horror about toxic relationships and self-deception. It wasn’t quite horror in the violence sense- it wasn’t too gory or icky- but in the atmospheric sense. It had a pervasive bleak, unpleasant, and sickly mood, which is typical for the horror genre and something I personally do not enjoy. Recommended to fans of the original Grimm’s fairytales, in all their messed up glory.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Death, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Blood, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Murder, Gaslighting, and Animal death

Moderate: Grief and Pedophilia

raegoetz's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

Beautifully written. The pacing of the story was just right and I found it difficult to put down. I will definitely be rereading this in the future to find all the little details I missed the first time around.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death and Sexual harassment

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Gaslighting, Grief, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, and Violence