Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

39 reviews

midnacine's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

While I loved the tension between the two main characters, a lot of this book felt slow and anti-climatic. It's almost as if the author forgot to develop the plot until she wrote the last 100 pages and just squeeze everything important into that part. Overall, still enjoyable, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it. I'll still probably read the third one when it comes out if not only for my insatiable curiosity and near inability to DNF trilogies.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Stalking

Moderate: Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent

druzyquartz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Blood, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship

frankieclc's review against another edition

4.5

the way I started this book like ugh it's gonna be sooo Young adult like the last one and then like 80 pages in I'm having an absolute whale of a time?????? what's in this book???? crack????

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Blood

Moderate: Abandonment and Toxic relationship

amre23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Violence, Murder, Gore, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Grief, and Body horror

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Blood, Abandonment, War, Stalking, Gaslighting, Classism, Physical abuse, and Infidelity

Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Sexual assault

kefredriksen's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Even though this is a 2nd book in a series, it was better than the first! I couldn't put it down, the characters are delightfully complicated, and the ending had me screaming. Easily a fav in this genre!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Moderate: Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, and Blood

Minor: Confinement, Stalking, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

meeklovestoread's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

I didn't like it as much as the first one, but that doesn't negate the fact that it was still interesting. I don't know if it's just her books, but for some reason for me it's when I read her books I don't fully get into it until the later parts. But it might be on me because I've only read two and I'm just now getting back into fantasy. It was interesting enough to keep me going but nothing really immersing to me. I kept wanting to hit Evangeline for being too trusting, too quickly. It's cool how consistent Stephanie keeps Jacks character. The ending was crazy. Glad there's gonna be a third book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Gaslighting and Medical content

velvetreads_'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Toxic relationship

pooogsz's review against another edition

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

5.0

It was good, easily read it in half a day

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Murder, Gore, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Moderate: Abandonment, Torture, War, and Stalking

kbairbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

This was a hard read for me. Not in the way I read it because I did consume it quickly. There’s a whimsy to Stephanie’s writing that is a person with synesthesias dream. But while it’s not described as such her books are horrors. Maybe a fantasy horror but damn dude. The gaslighting and terrible relationships? The betrayal and secrets? The freaking ending? I wanna know what happens after this but I’m also afraid. This book is easily very triggering for DV victims or someone such as myself that has trauma surrounding men. Ugh.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Grief, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

achay91's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Murder, Death, and Blood

Minor: Death of parent