Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Cruel Illusions by Margie Fuston

9 reviews

mattiedancer's review

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

3.75

Writing: 3.5⭐️/5 

Not brilliantly written, but also not lacking anything. This is a (my fave word) serviceably written novel.

Characters: 4⭐️/5

Okay, not gonna lie, fell in love with both of the potential love interests. Loved that for our main character, and loved that for me. While our main character is very angsty as well, I actually really appreciated it, as it made her age a bit more believable. I would have loved a bit more depth and such from a few side characters, but if you’re looking for some cute, unique, and overall interesting characters, the book will not let you down. 

Plot: 3.5⭐️/5 

I might just be growing out of YA a bit too much this year but, while the plot was incredibly fun to read, it did leave me feeling a bit lacklustre by the end. I wanted a bit more for our intense moments and I wanted a bit more from the villains, who fell apart rather quickly at the end, much like a cheap sweater unravelling with a single pull of a loose thread. However, like I said before, I had fun.

Who Should Read This Book? 

• Fans of vampire stories – but who want something fresh
• Fans of circus and magician stories
• Fans of Hunger Games, but want something less political, more magical

Content Warnings? 

• Blood, death, injury, gaslighting

Post-Reading Rating:  4.5⭐️/5

Terribly fun. I love the uniqueness of this book so, so much.

Final Rating: 3.75⭐️/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Blood, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Gaslighting, and Murder

kirstenf's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death of parent, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Pregnancy, Police brutality, and Suicidal thoughts

frantically's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

I loved the magic system and the romance in this! Seems like Fairyloot is just forcing me to read vampire romances this year but I'm starting to get more and more into it 🩸

Ava & Roman are such a good (fr)enemies to lovers romance and seeing them get over their differences & find their way toward eachother was so beautiful.

The magic system and the competition was so creepy & strange and it just kept getting more dark — and I loved it! 

I wish this had been a duology instead because at the end, the final facedown was a bit rushed and I would've loved to see more exploration of the main antagonists & their history but still a great read!

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Confinement, Infidelity, Stalking, and Toxic friendship

mikaelaandherbooks's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Death, and Torture

victoriousbookworm's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Violence

Moderate: Murder and Death of parent

lennie_reads's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Violence, Confinement, Death, and Fire/Fire injury

luceeefur's review

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-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? Yes

3.5

I was excited about this book for the Buffy comparison's, but I found it too be far for YA than I would usually pick for myself. That being said, this was filled with a lot of tropes that I enjoy: found family, secret societies, morally grey characters, and a lopsided love triangle. I would have enjoyed a bit more vampires and a bit less magicians, but that's a strong personal preference.

Roman had to have been inspired by Angel based on all the Buffy comparison's in the book, and I'm not complaining about it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Violence

sunrae_booknook's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

3.25

Listen, I hate love triangles like this. But towards the end I was laughing because you literally have the character comparison for Xander as Joker and I was like oh yup, he’s not my little green haired beast boy lol

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Stalking, Death, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Vomit, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Blood, Kidnapping, Bullying, Infidelity, Gaslighting, and Death of parent

holthmsn's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

I loved this book from the very start. Ava is a character that you bond with instantly and the plot just makes you hang onto every page!
A must read for book lovers of magic, vampires, and found family.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Grief, and Violence