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sucharita's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
oracle_of_madness's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you Netgalley for this Arc!
A Wish too Dark and Kind is such a creative and intriguing tale. The beginning of the book was slightly confusing but it all came together beautifully.
I fully enjoyed this story which was full of magic and mystery. I definitely recommend this as a quick fantasy read!
A Wish too Dark and Kind is such a creative and intriguing tale. The beginning of the book was slightly confusing but it all came together beautifully.
I fully enjoyed this story which was full of magic and mystery. I definitely recommend this as a quick fantasy read!
ceilidhwilliams's review against another edition
DNF Not only is the writing extremely confusing and the plot/structure all over the place, this book contains racial slurs and stereotypes as jokes. No thank you, disgusting. As a person of Romani descent fuck you š
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Antisemitism and Racism
mercey's review
2.0
This book was fine, I just feel like maybe I didnāt understand it. The writing is beautiful, of that there is no doubt, but perhaps the prose is a touch too convoluted to be understood. The imagery was wonderful but only once you worked for it. Sometimes a tree can have green leaves, rather than leaves the colour of blood, should blood reside on the opposite side of the colour wheel.
Itās rich with words, yet I found it too wordy in places, to the point I could not tell you what this book was about, nor did I feel for any of the characters. Not my kind of book, but possibly for others who really want to read something for the writing alone.
Madi
Itās rich with words, yet I found it too wordy in places, to the point I could not tell you what this book was about, nor did I feel for any of the characters. Not my kind of book, but possibly for others who really want to read something for the writing alone.
Madi
gothicreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
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
3.0
A Wish Too Dark and Kind by M.L. Blackbird left me with many feelings: excitement, despair, love and hate.
The blurb sounded very promising and I tell you, I was ready to dive in. But this wasn't easily done. The characters are interesting enough, the magic system and the story idea great - but the non-linear structure and the perspective hopping from one to another left me confused for a good third of the book.
Characters are introduced rapidly with their own stories after the very apocalyptic opening. At first they felt flat to me and it was only much later that everything made sense. The author's writing style kept me going, otherwise I would have DNfd this book very soon.
It got better after that and I liked this little dark story very much in the end. This book is not the right one for you if you dislike death, blood magic and violence.
3 1/2 stars overall.
The blurb sounded very promising and I tell you, I was ready to dive in. But this wasn't easily done. The characters are interesting enough, the magic system and the story idea great - but the non-linear structure and the perspective hopping from one to another left me confused for a good third of the book.
Characters are introduced rapidly with their own stories after the very apocalyptic opening. At first they felt flat to me and it was only much later that everything made sense. The author's writing style kept me going, otherwise I would have DNfd this book very soon.
It got better after that and I liked this little dark story very much in the end. This book is not the right one for you if you dislike death, blood magic and violence.
3 1/2 stars overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
mercey's review against another edition
2.0
This book was fine, I just feel like maybe I didnāt understand it. The writing is beautiful, of that there is no doubt, but perhaps the prose is a touch too convoluted to be understood. The imagery was wonderful but only once you worked for it. Sometimes a tree can have green leaves, rather than leaves the colour of blood, should blood reside on the opposite side of the colour wheel.
Itās rich with words, yet I found it too wordy in places, to the point I could not tell you what this book was about, nor did I feel for any of the characters. Not my kind of book, but possibly for others who really want to read something for the writing alone.
Madi
Itās rich with words, yet I found it too wordy in places, to the point I could not tell you what this book was about, nor did I feel for any of the characters. Not my kind of book, but possibly for others who really want to read something for the writing alone.
Madi
lachesisreads's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
3.75
If China Mieville collaborated with Justin Cronin to re-invent the urban fantasy genre from scratch, it might read something like this.
When I read the blurb, I initially expected something like a mystery-plot in the style of Agatha Christie, but with vampires (maybe?); while the cover, to me, says YA horror. Neither could be further from the truth, and I'd say the plot as well as the expectations aroused by the cover are perhaps a bit misleading. That's a shame, because this is an amazing book, but probably not what the YA paranormal/vampire mystery crowd might be looking for, and some readers who would very much enjoy this might not think to pick it up. We all judge our books by the covers, after all.
Paranormal, or urban fantasy, is often a pretty low-brow genre and focused mainly on a love story-aspect (let's call it what it is, porn with werewolves). And that's is a big damn shame, because this genre has the potential for so much more.
The labyrinthine horror-plot Blackbird weaves in a dry and detached style that couldn't be further removed from the purple prose often encountered in this genre made this a real joy to read.
I'll say that it's not an easy or fast read, however - you have to be on your toes to follow the interweaving plotlines and time strands, and the prose requires you to sit up and pay attention as well. Initially, it was a little confusing, but the longer you read, the more everything begins coming together.
If you are looking for a genre-bending literary urban fantasy, I would absolutely recommend giving this one a go! Perfect for fans of House of Leaves and China Mieville, as well as people who prefer their supernatural creatures on the horror side of things.
I want to thank NetGalley and M.L.Blackbird for a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions here expressed are my own.
When I read the blurb, I initially expected something like a mystery-plot in the style of Agatha Christie, but with vampires (maybe?); while the cover, to me, says YA horror. Neither could be further from the truth, and I'd say the plot as well as the expectations aroused by the cover are perhaps a bit misleading. That's a shame, because this is an amazing book, but probably not what the YA paranormal/vampire mystery crowd might be looking for, and some readers who would very much enjoy this might not think to pick it up. We all judge our books by the covers, after all.
Paranormal, or urban fantasy, is often a pretty low-brow genre and focused mainly on a love story-aspect (let's call it what it is, porn with werewolves). And that's is a big damn shame, because this genre has the potential for so much more.
The labyrinthine horror-plot Blackbird weaves in a dry and detached style that couldn't be further removed from the purple prose often encountered in this genre made this a real joy to read.
I'll say that it's not an easy or fast read, however - you have to be on your toes to follow the interweaving plotlines and time strands, and the prose requires you to sit up and pay attention as well. Initially, it was a little confusing, but the longer you read, the more everything begins coming together.
If you are looking for a genre-bending literary urban fantasy, I would absolutely recommend giving this one a go! Perfect for fans of House of Leaves and China Mieville, as well as people who prefer their supernatural creatures on the horror side of things.
I want to thank NetGalley and M.L.Blackbird for a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions here expressed are my own.
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy!
I was really excited to read this book as the premise was so unique and had me intrigued.
However, this story was extremely confusing. The writing had me going back to reread passages and itās not the same plot that is given in the synopsis. The perspectives and plot were difficult to follow. The whole magik system is not anything Iāve read before and therefore couldāve been useful to add more explanation about what exactly ātelluric elementsā were.
This book had a lot of promise.
I was really excited to read this book as the premise was so unique and had me intrigued.
However, this story was extremely confusing. The writing had me going back to reread passages and itās not the same plot that is given in the synopsis. The perspectives and plot were difficult to follow. The whole magik system is not anything Iāve read before and therefore couldāve been useful to add more explanation about what exactly ātelluric elementsā were.
This book had a lot of promise.
lex_gutsche's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you M.L. Blackbird for allowing me to review A Wish Too Dark and Kind.
An old prince. 8 party guests. A ritual sacrifice. Each guest has their own dark history and some are connected through more than just attending the same party. When they all find out why they are really at the party, can they stop the old prince before he goes too far?
A Wish Too Dark and Kind stands out because of the intricate āmagickā system that has so clearly been thought out. I enjoyed the manner in which that āmagickā is connected to telluric currents and a deeper energy. It is also made clear that āmagickā has consequences and I found that this made it more realistic, in the sense that it is not so far-fetched.
The characters are well developed and certainly all have secrets that they are hiding. None of them seem completely good or evil, as each of their backstories allows you to understand them. You almost feel sad when something bad happens to a character you donāt like. I enjoyed Alex and the relationship she developed with Ioan. Together they made a good team, and weāre essential to the plan.
However, for the first 30% of the book, I had no idea what was happening. Take this as your warning: there are two stories being told. One is Arnaud Demeureās story, the main antagonist, and the other story tells the events of the present. At first, I wasnāt aware that this was the case. As a result, I didnāt understand what the plot was for most of the book. I feel as though it could have been made more clear as to what everyone was and what their purpose was.
Another issue I had with this novel, which is more personal, is that it involved a bit too much religion and almost biblical references. I donāt like a book having too much to do with those topics, but as I said that is just a personal feeling.
Perhaps the fault is with me and I only need to read this book again to fully understand its workings.
Overall the plot was enticing and unpredictable! The characters were real! And I would certainly recommend this book to those looking for a fantasy novel that is darker, has a realistic and beautifully designed āmagickā system, and is not like many of the fantasy novels you find on ābookstagram/booktokā.
An old prince. 8 party guests. A ritual sacrifice. Each guest has their own dark history and some are connected through more than just attending the same party. When they all find out why they are really at the party, can they stop the old prince before he goes too far?
A Wish Too Dark and Kind stands out because of the intricate āmagickā system that has so clearly been thought out. I enjoyed the manner in which that āmagickā is connected to telluric currents and a deeper energy. It is also made clear that āmagickā has consequences and I found that this made it more realistic, in the sense that it is not so far-fetched.
The characters are well developed and certainly all have secrets that they are hiding. None of them seem completely good or evil, as each of their backstories allows you to understand them. You almost feel sad when something bad happens to a character you donāt like. I enjoyed Alex and the relationship she developed with Ioan. Together they made a good team, and weāre essential to the plan.
However, for the first 30% of the book, I had no idea what was happening. Take this as your warning: there are two stories being told. One is Arnaud Demeureās story, the main antagonist, and the other story tells the events of the present. At first, I wasnāt aware that this was the case. As a result, I didnāt understand what the plot was for most of the book. I feel as though it could have been made more clear as to what everyone was and what their purpose was.
Another issue I had with this novel, which is more personal, is that it involved a bit too much religion and almost biblical references. I donāt like a book having too much to do with those topics, but as I said that is just a personal feeling.
Perhaps the fault is with me and I only need to read this book again to fully understand its workings.
Overall the plot was enticing and unpredictable! The characters were real! And I would certainly recommend this book to those looking for a fantasy novel that is darker, has a realistic and beautifully designed āmagickā system, and is not like many of the fantasy novels you find on ābookstagram/booktokā.