Reviews tagging 'Gore'

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

53 reviews

babyvirgo's review

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

A fun jaunt through time and space, where a magician picks up a thief on his way to protect his beloved royal family. There's partially found family vibes, and I keep imagining the pansexual prince as an AU Dragon Prince kind of sassy guy. Looking forward to book two, I loved the use of magic! If you're listening to audiobook, the narrator Loves to do this guttural magicky growl for every spell incantation.

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moonchild_cos's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

4.5


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cowardlyteaman's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense 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

I really liked this book!
The plot was good, the characters were good, and I really like its pace.
Especially in the end, I felt like some of the battles were a bit short and shallow? However, I am aware that this is a trilogy, and will give the end game a chance to be tension I'm looking for.

I would very much recommend this to any fantasy fan who likes a bit of a blood bath and very interesting world-building. There's elemental magic, alternative worlds, humorous dialogue, and a small romance sub-plot that doesn't take up tedious space at all.

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donatio's review

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious 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

This was a reread and even though I already knew what I was in for and knew how things would end, Schwab managed to catch and drag me into the worlds. 
She is one of my favourite authors and in my opinion just a master of storytelling, I can picture clearly in my head what happens and feel with the characters who feel a little like home by now. 
This is a book for the ones who like elemental magic, multiple POVs, thieees and adventures. 
100% recommend

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tallnecked_pancakeface's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0


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zoeelora's review

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

4.5


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seastheday's review

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

2021: Pregnant / gave birth so it got lost in the shuffle 
2024: decided to revisit this book- I had forgotten everything except for how icky the Dane Twins made me feel. The beginning was slow and the end was almost too fast. Things weren’t built up much and resolved way too quickly. The world building was excellent though. I like V.E. Schwab and I’m going to give the second book in the trilogy a chance. I found myself not really liking any of the characters, which is supposedly unusual for this book. I think I will like Lila more as the story continues. Kell just is a sacrificial idiot & I have hopes that he will grow more as a character. 

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asiaunique's review

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adventurous dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5


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books_and_rainydays's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I love Schwab's writing style and perspective but with this book (and especially in the ending) I felt that it was a little bit too rushed. I felt like somethings were just thrown into the story for the sake of the plot without the reader really understanding where they came from and how they are related to what happened before.

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jupiterlee's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.75


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