Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington

60 reviews

rocky_'s review

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.75

I was surprised that I actually really enjoyed this book as much as I did, don't get me wrong I hated almost all the characters but honestly that's kind of the point lol sometimes the inner monologue of the MC could be a tad bit winded but overall I enjoyed this book, I was first listening to the audiobook but I got so involved in the story I had to go pick up the physical copy to really finish it off iykyk. The only reason it's not a 5 star is because it felt like it was missing something don't ask me what cause idk but just a feeling so it's a high 4.75 ⭐ for me 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug abuse and Blood

kendal_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Racism, Bullying, Gun violence, and Classism

Minor: Alcohol and Vomit

immdanii's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• 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, Murder, Racism, Violence, Blood, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Vomit, Animal cruelty, and Panic attacks/disorders

browneyesblue84's review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

I like the setting of Their Vicious Games. This marks the second YA thriller novel that I read in the past year. Despite being an elder millennial , I still like YA novels especially YA thrillers and horror stories. I was unfamiliar with the author but saw the cover in Target last year. This book took residence on my TBR from then on. I needed something fast paced and different to fill in the gap between preorder releases. This novel definitely satisfied me. Also, I realized that I preordered the authors next book without realizing who the author was. 

Joelle Wellington’s writing is easy to read. I was hooked from the first chapter. Adina is a relatable character who strives to fit into a world of opulence and power. She loses her one opportunity after a moment of intense emotion brought on by a “friend” who was jealous. That reaction cost her everything except for a change to obtain her diploma. Adina decided to do what she could to take part in The Finish, a competition that offered something that she truly needed a second chance. However, she was not prepared for the truth about this competition and how truly high the stakes were. 

I am rating this novel five stars out of five. Yes, it’s that good. Each chapter has an even balance of well thought out prose, dynamic characters and even pacing. I’m looking forward to reading the author’s next novel. If Their Vicious Games is this good , I get the feeling  that it will be even better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

Moderate: Gaslighting, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Cursing, and Blood

Minor: Grief

genevieve_and_her_books's review

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Gore, Blood, and Classism

booknerderika's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense

4.0

This was intense. Vicious doesn't even begin to describe the games or the people.  I immediately got "Ace of Spades" vibes and then it got weird with the whole Bachelor-ish situation. I was on edge through so much of this and didn't trust anyone. I'm glad that there was an epilogue and we were able to see what happened after, but this story was just shocking overall and I needed a few days to process before I posted a review. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Vomit, Death, Classism, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Self harm and Animal cruelty

tewspicy's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Violence, and Blood

ems_rxlibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Blood

Moderate: Violence

teeclecticreads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Gosh this was good! When I finally got to read the book without distractions I ended up finishing it in one whole day. It was giving me serious Squid Games/Hunger Games meets Bridgerton vibes. I must admit that the pacing was too slow in the beginning and there was a lot of talking in riddles until we got to the action. Adina was also annoying me a lot with all the terrible decisions she was making, but I enjoyed her determination to succeed. The juiciness of the plot and the ending made up for all of that though. I just love that it also highlighted a serious issue that minority groups, especially black people, face where we try to work twice as hard in a world with an uneven playing field just to get a chance at making a better life for ourselves. Definitely a fav read of the year so far.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Violence, Cursing, Gore, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Blood, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders

jennanaps's review

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Grief, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Gun violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Gore, Racism, Toxic friendship, Classism, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Addiction