Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland

3 reviews

nutmegandpumpkin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

If I’m being honest, I had a hard time deciding what to rate this book. There were quite a few things that weren’t great but my enjoyment outweighed most of those. If I was reviewing it strictly on writing quality and technicalities my rating would be less high. But I’d feel ingenious rating it lower because it was the prefect book I needed at the time I read it. So my review is just going to be a simple pros and cons list so you can decide for yourself (i was able to thoroughly enjoy it despite the cons)

Pros:
- diverse cast (both LGBTQ+ and skin color)
—> main character is on the asexual spectrum which was refreshing
—> secondary character is trans
—> multiple side characters are gay, bisexual, etc.
-interesting plot revolving around dreams and souls and sleep 
- tension and suspense is done really well
- fictional pantheon that I found interesting
- likable main character
- light and fun read

Cons:
- sometimes things happen and it feels very much like they happen for plot reasons (they don’t feel as natural and it can pull you out of immersion a bit)
- some of the descriptions of buildings felt like they went on a little longer than necessary 
- quite a few cliches  
- felt rushed in some places
- left me wanting a bit more immersion and depth when it came to the worldbuilding (more about how the world works!)

neutral:
- toxic relationship (sometimes it feels like it’s romanticized and sometimes it feels like its not, it wasn’t clear so it might depend on how you read it)

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story_goblin's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

I don't even remember how I heard about this book- some algorithm somewhere I think pulled it as similar to what else I read. Honestly, the premise did sound interesting, but I read "asexual main character" and immediately put it on my TBR list. It took me a while to get my hands on it and then even longer to finally find the time and space to read it. Even then, I almost couldn't. I was extremely stressed when I started this book and seeing a young girl think she has a voice when she's really just being manipulated and controlled by men was just too much; I had to set it down until I wasn't as stressed. But I finally finished it and am very glad I did. Overall this is a unique premise/world with great characters and a promise that a path CAN indeed be found no matter how dark or hopeless things may seem.

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readandfindout's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Style/writing: 3.5 stars.               
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 3.5 stars
Plot: 4.5 stars
Worldbuilding: 4.5 stars

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