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julesloyola's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Car accident
xlantsov's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i don't know what to think of this. i was so invested for the first half then i started getting bored and every time i picked it up i wanted to put it back down again. and then i feel like we didn't really get closure? the last few chapters flew by because i wanted to know how it ends but it doesn't really end properly? or maybe i just don't get it. maybe i was so tired of this story that i didn't even try. anyways i hope both of them get help because this was SICK. (in a bad way)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal death
foreverinastory's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was almost a dark romance... so close!
Rep: Achillen Jewish MC, rich achillean love interest, Jewish side character, Black side characters.
CWs: Alcohol consumption, animal death (MC collects butterflies), antisemitism, blood death, emotional abuse, gaslighting, homophobia, self harm (purposeful burns), sexual content including dominance, murder and planning of murder, toxic relationship, violence, mental illness (depression), bullying, grief, kidnapping, stalking, suicide, death of parent.
Rep: Achillen Jewish MC, rich achillean love interest, Jewish side character, Black side characters.
CWs: Alcohol consumption, animal death (MC collects butterflies), antisemitism, blood death, emotional abuse, gaslighting, homophobia, self harm (purposeful burns), sexual content including dominance, murder and planning of murder, toxic relationship, violence, mental illness (depression), bullying, grief, kidnapping, stalking, suicide, death of parent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Murder, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide, and Death of parent
fictionmajorette's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Full thoughts: https://fictionmajorette.blogspot.com/2021/06/these-violent-delights-micah-nemerever.html
From the description, I was thinking this book would sort of be along the same lines as a Bonnie and Clyde type dynamic but it was so much more than that. We spend a lot of time getting to know Paul both before and during his relationship with Julian. There is so much emotion built into the story but done in such a way as to also build up the tension. The character work in this regard is fantastic - there is so much history that we don't get to see before the story starts but we can see the ripples changing the current story.
The pacing was phenomenal. The book opens with them getting into a car with another person and there's a vaguely threatening atmosphere so we know where the story is headed. We don't see the outcome of the situation with the other man but we get the feeling it isn't good. Then, we flash back to Paul and Julian meeting in ethics class for the first time and the story progresses linearly from there. I think the choice of having the opening scene be so explicitly dangerous was a great choice because as we see the little cracks form in Paul and their relationship as the story ramps up, the reader has that scene in mind. In the last third of the story, I was really getting the same feeling like when you see Romeo and Juliet for the first time - you know exactly how this is going to end (badly) but you can't help hoping that this time, just this one time, the characters will end up fine and that hope really keeps you turning the pages.
The prose leaned way more into the literary fiction sphere than I was expecting. I was expecting this to be more along the lines of a thriller centered around a toxic relationship. I think the more lit-fic elements were worked in really well with the atmosphere of dread I got while reading. The prose was beautiful and, at times, veered into 'flowery' but a lot of times these beautiful prose moments were discussing some of the darkest points of the story.
This story is told from Paul's POV and it was interesting to see one side of a toxic and obsessive relationship. They never really use the label of 'boyfriends' but they spend all their time together, are intimate together, and love each other. Both have and are struggling to deal with their own baggage and how they can grow into their own selves. At first, we see Paul as this quiet, reserved guy and it almost seems like Julian brings Paul out of his shell. But as we see more of their relationship dynamic, it isn't clear exactly if they are changing each other or if they just finally have someone they can be their true selves around. It is an interesting sort of slippery slope they find themselves in where once they start going down the wrong path together, they can't stop and turn back.
Overall, this was a fantastic read - a haunting, beautiful, macabre, heartbreaking, emotional journey of a first relationship that crosses a line and tries so hard to go back to how things were before.
From the description, I was thinking this book would sort of be along the same lines as a Bonnie and Clyde type dynamic but it was so much more than that. We spend a lot of time getting to know Paul both before and during his relationship with Julian. There is so much emotion built into the story but done in such a way as to also build up the tension. The character work in this regard is fantastic - there is so much history that we don't get to see before the story starts but we can see the ripples changing the current story.
The pacing was phenomenal. The book opens with them getting into a car with another person and there's a vaguely threatening atmosphere so we know where the story is headed. We don't see the outcome of the situation with the other man but we get the feeling it isn't good. Then, we flash back to Paul and Julian meeting in ethics class for the first time and the story progresses linearly from there. I think the choice of having the opening scene be so explicitly dangerous was a great choice because as we see the little cracks form in Paul and their relationship as the story ramps up, the reader has that scene in mind. In the last third of the story, I was really getting the same feeling like when you see Romeo and Juliet for the first time - you know exactly how this is going to end (badly) but you can't help hoping that this time, just this one time, the characters will end up fine and that hope really keeps you turning the pages.
The prose leaned way more into the literary fiction sphere than I was expecting. I was expecting this to be more along the lines of a thriller centered around a toxic relationship. I think the more lit-fic elements were worked in really well with the atmosphere of dread I got while reading. The prose was beautiful and, at times, veered into 'flowery' but a lot of times these beautiful prose moments were discussing some of the darkest points of the story.
This story is told from Paul's POV and it was interesting to see one side of a toxic and obsessive relationship. They never really use the label of 'boyfriends' but they spend all their time together, are intimate together, and love each other. Both have and are struggling to deal with their own baggage and how they can grow into their own selves. At first, we see Paul as this quiet, reserved guy and it almost seems like Julian brings Paul out of his shell. But as we see more of their relationship dynamic, it isn't clear exactly if they are changing each other or if they just finally have someone they can be their true selves around. It is an interesting sort of slippery slope they find themselves in where once they start going down the wrong path together, they can't stop and turn back.
Overall, this was a fantastic read - a haunting, beautiful, macabre, heartbreaking, emotional journey of a first relationship that crosses a line and tries so hard to go back to how things were before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Animal death
badbud's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Blood, Grief, Self harm, Sexual content, Death of parent, Antisemitism, and Animal death
biblioleah's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this book reads like heartache. it is a book about people who are hurting and in turn want to hurt the world for what it’s done to them. it is not a love story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
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