Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

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

61 reviews

lefay_'s review against another edition

fast-paced

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

4.5

i love women!!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Mental illness, Blood, Gun violence, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Car accident, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, and Homophobia

wardenred's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

“Even if you succeed, you’re still going to Hell.”
“But not yet.”

I picked up this novella intending to read maybe 1/3 of it before bed. I ended up inhaling it all in one go, then feeling too emotional to go to sleep for over an hour. Absolutely no regrets.

Honestly, I adored pretty much everything about this tiny book. The impeccable noir vibes. The cold, alienating allure of the setting. The complexity of it, with all the magical orders and wars between heaven and hell, painted in the lightest strokes due to the format constraints and yet so vivid. The bittersweetness of it all, and the reminder that sometimes you pay a high price and don't get everything you want/need, but what you do get is still worth it. And, of course, the characters. My, the characters.

Helen is definitely going to stick with me for a long while. She has all the trappings of the noir detective, but underneath the cynicism you'd expect from one, she has so much love in her. Love that pushes her, over and over, to sacrifice so much for the sake of her loved ones, no matter the consequences—and no matter their opinion. Is it selfish or altruistic? Both. Love like that tends to be both.

I absolutely loved the romantic storyline. Edith is just as compelling and complex as Helen, and the bond between them is so strong. Honestly, as much as I love regular romance novels focused on characters coming together, I'm a sucker for established relationships in fiction. Love stories, after all, don't end when the first set of obstacles is defeated and the couple settles on the decision to tackle the rest of their lives together. That's only ever, I believe, where the real story starts. I love seeing couples (or for that matter policules, but that's irrelevant to this particular book, of course) actually working together as an established unit. The stakes always feel so much higher when it's a long-standing love/relationship being tested; if something goes wrong, the characters wouldn't just lose a chance at a happy ever after, they'll lose everything they've already built. And so when they get to keep it, the triumph is so much sweeter. 

This book does precisely this kind of thing so well. The bond and the feelings between Helen and Esther shine in every scene. They're so close, and yet they both keep such big secrets from each other, for really valid reasons—and when those secrets come to light, they accept it and move on together with this new information. I don't know, there's just something so special about it, and how perfectly it's interwoven with the overall mystery plot, all the demonic/angelic fantasy trappings, and the subplot about Helen's past and her relationship with her brother. So much good stuff packed into such a small book. 

Also: that one morning scene with Esther and the sparrows? And the one where Helen was reading The Great Gatsby? And absolutely every time Marlowe showed up on the page? Perfection. All of it. The kind of scenes that are going to live rent-free at the back of my mind for months or years to come.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Death, and Homophobia

Moderate: Car accident and Gun violence

lycheejelly's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Death, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, and Death of parent

jayisreading's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

4.25

I don't read novellas very often, in part because I always find myself wanting more than what's allowed for something to be called a novella. Even Though I Knew the End was one of those instances. I was really drawn to the characters and the tender relationship between the main character and her partner. I was also impressed by the amount of worldbuilding Polk squeezed into this novella, which, again, makes me wish more could have been done.

All things considered though, this was a tightly written novella, with some good old-fashioned noir vibes with a hint of the supernatural. It was much more fast-paced than I expected, but Polk got their story across well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Murder, Blood, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Forced institutionalization, and Misogyny

Minor: Car accident

rhi_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Homophobia, Blood, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Car accident

ladythana's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Gun violence, Death, Violence, and Homophobia

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, and Sexism

emily_mh's review against another edition

dark 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? No

4.25

Usually I’m not a fan of paranormal stories (e.g., urban fantasy, angels and demons type stuff) but I really liked it here. Polk fit in some nice depth to the world which is always a challenge in a novella. I especially appreciated the history we were given of the angels as this fleshed out the angel characters well. I also liked how the politics between the various supernatural factions had such direct influence over the plot and characters. I will say I was a little confused whether the supernatural/magical world was hidden or the norm for all humans everywhere. 

The story was so easy to fly through. The plot was fast-paced and investigation-driven, the latter essential in a murder-mystery for me. It was also clever, the resolution satisfying. 

I got a good sense of the MC Helen and was fully rooting for her. She’s a puzzler and a thinker, she’s driven, but most important she loves HARD. My heart was in my throat seeing the lengths she would go to to save and protect her loved ones. 

Unfortunately I didn’t totally get the romance between Helen and Edith. I didn’t feel the depth of their connection like most other readers have seemed to. But it wasn’t a biggie for me overall. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Drug use, Gun violence, Death of parent, Violence, Death, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Car accident

Minor: Addiction, Sexual content, Homophobia, Ableism, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Grief, Cursing, Sexual harassment, and Alcohol

Moderate: conversion therapy, eye trauma Minor: gambling, loss of a loved one, self-injury

nightstitch96's review

emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Forced institutionalization, and Homophobia

Minor: Blood and Car accident

marleywrites's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? No

3.0

I didn’t know what to expect for this story, but I’m so glad about that. Coming in with no expectations and just enjoying the ride was a fun time. There are angels and demons and magic, and it even has some horror elements. 

This was an exciting, mysterious read, with a sweet established queer relationship. The author did a fantastic job with the world building of this story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, Violence, Homophobia, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

elderwoodreads's review

emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

This was a great little novella! I loved the characters and the story. I did feel like the beginning was a little confusing because you are dropped right in and sort of have to make connections along the way. I also feel like the ending was a little over foreshadowed especially

with the reference to his eyes doing the same thing as her girlfriend's in the photo

. Overall I enjoyed it and think it's a fun and fast read, especially if you're looking for a unique sapphic story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Grief, Alcohol, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence

Minor: Homophobia and Car accident