Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk

8 reviews

jessicadoom's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

This reminded me of playing a Call of Cthulhu game in the absolute best way. The novella progressed really nicely with just the right amount of mystery and romance. The relationship between Helen and Edith? *chef's kiss* Just beautiful and a wonderful little palate cleanser before I move on to something longer.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Violence, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Homophobia, Murder, and Sexual content

robin1010's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

1.0

 The premise was great, the execution needs a lot of editing and about double the pages. The author had a lot of different subjects and topics to explore but wasn't able to focus on anything enough to give meaning or depth. There was barely any investigation into the murder mystery that wasn't just reasons to put x character at x location, the romance was incredibly flat and had very little development, the magic system was vague and handwavy, the lore and worldbuilding was equally only the strictly relevant and barely that. Even the atmosphere distinctly missed the noir mark, as the writing style, dialogue, and characters just felt modern. A few bits of outdated vocabulary here and there doesn't make it noir. 

 The pacing was horrendous. The novel spends almost the exact same amount of time on each event that happens, regardless of how important or how much explanation this event needs.

Helen and Edith talking in the club takes MORE time than the reveal of Edith as an angel and her and the angel's entire backstory/mechanism of possession.

The last act felt squished together and the first two felt dragged out. Some chapters just felt like filler. You never really get time for events or revelations to sink in and settle. 

For whatever reason the author put in angels and demons, and then immediately gives the tools to kill them. I don't understand the point of having these beings known for limitless power and immortality and then making them killable. In a similar vein the last big fight was relatively anticlimactic - we were just introduced to the real antagonist and his motivations and he's dead in a couple of paragraphs. Delaney was a weird character to have in there - also, Helen specifically notes his eyes flare the same weird way Edith's do, but doesn't connect the dots between that and him having angelic influence until hes already revealed as the villain.

I hate that Helen and Ted both 'go to hell' at the end. In a wlw book? really? In combination with repeated mentions of homophobia (including conversion therapy) and misogyny. Don't tell me these are about adding realism in a fantasy book. 

 

The relationship itself also, frankly, sucks. It has all the chemistry of a dead fish. Largely because Helen is as blank as they come, but theres also no development, no time spent just getting to know them, no interaction that isn't painfully generic and could be any couple speaking to each other. It was boring reading about them.

The characters, themes, and content needed more space to breathe than such a short book gave it, and the author needed to choose a focus rather than juggling too many things at once. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Death

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Mental illness, Gore, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Grief, Lesbophobia, Death of parent, and Child death

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Gun violence, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Homophobia, Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, and Mental illness

seyfert's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Gore

Moderate: Death, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, and Sexism

Minor: Death of parent, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, and Gun violence

breesbookmark's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Homophobia and Religious bigotry

crownoflaurel's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Lesbophobia and Religious bigotry

Minor: Dementia, Car accident, and Blood

modernmatilda's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

It was queer, it had emotional damage, and it was a new to me genre that I loved (noir)!

However, there is a giant plot point and a scene at an "asylum". The book is set in the 1930s and there is pushback conversations from the characters on topics of queer people and conversion therapy and wives not needing permission from husbands to do things. BUT it still doesn't sit right with me that it was a plot point at all. I don't know. 

Overall, I had fun riding the ride of this book and could recommend it, but I'd like to hear more about the topic above from the author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Grief, Death, Blood, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Car accident and Death of parent