Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Světla nad Prahou by Nicole Jarvis

9 reviews

voidthearea's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5


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queenie_ofthe_void's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-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? Yes

3.0

Domek being a total himbo hero was great in the beginning, but he continued to make the same mistakes even after his big moment of character development... which seems wrong. The Ora-Dom team up also happened much later than I expected. Could've done without the Bazil arc (didn't have any effect on the story) or Sokol making a move on Ora (why can't men and women just be friends?!). 

All that aside, I loved Ora and I loved Domek. Also love a story with snarky personified object/spirit. Literally one of my favorite tropes so Kaja really hit the spot.

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m4rtt4's review against another edition

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

2.5

The vibes were there, but nothing else was. Don't be fooled, this was nothing like the Shades of Magic trilogy. Too much information with too little explanation, in addition to everything happening in the span of a couple of days. Ora was the only character I liked, I'd actually like to read a whole book about her life. I also loved the underground Prague! Don't know why I read the whole thing as I already wanted to dnf like 50 pages in.

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lanid's review against another edition

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adventurous dark
  • 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


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bas0513's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective relaxing tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • 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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wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

5.0


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the_grimdragon's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious

4.0

"There was something melancholic yet comforting about a silent library. So much knowledge sat unlearned. Books without readers were only paper."

The Lights of Prague is the debut novel from Nicole Jarvis & comes out on the 25th in North America & TODAY for the rest of the world!

Thanks to Titan Books for the copy & for inviting me along on the Instagram tour!

Taking place in gaslight-era Prague, this has such a comfortable, cozy vibe but with wicked sharp teeth!

Jarvis weaves together historical fantasy & horror in a lusciously brutal way. It's got mythology, costumery, bloodthirsty predators, elite monster hunters, trapped spirits, atmospheric writing & IT'S QUEER!!

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peculiarb's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 The Lights of Prague by Nicola Jarvis tells the tale of a man forced to reckon with all he knows in order to save his city.

Prague’s lamplighters consider all non-human creatures to be demons, however Domek’s black and white view of the world finds itself constantly challenged as he’s forced to acknowledge shades of grey. His character arc was very interesting, chiefly because he resisted this change. For most of the book, he openly condemns anyone who he doesn’t perceive as good while he is blind to the actions of peers. It’s only once he reaches rock bottom that he starts expanding his point of view.

Ora Fischerová becomes a catalyst to this change. A wealthy widow with an eye for Domek, she spends her nights enjoying the many sights Prague has to offer until she is pulled into the pijavice conspiracy herself. Her character is almost the complete opposite of Domek. She’s appears to be incredibly lively, yet she’s still shadowed by the death of her husband. Despite the image she projects, her grief and loneliness are often suffocating. Throughout the book she is forced to reckon with it and the fact that it has rendered her stagnant in life. However, it’s not her growing relationship with Domek brings on the change, but rather her involvement in the plot and the threats to her loved ones.

I really liked that the romance wasn’t the reason for her coming to terms with her grief. Domek helps, but she ultimately starts the process of healing on her own.

While the two of them are the main characters, they don’t actually team up until the end. This means that the book is made up of two converging plot lines, giving the readers the full image. I especially liked one part of The Lights of Prague where Ora is working against the pijavice, while Domek is following Ora thinking she’s part of them. Despite the gravity of those scenes, I did enjoy how well Jarvis pulled off this miscommunication trope.

I also enjoyed the plot as a whole. While the story is condensed into a small number of days, it doesn’t feel forced or overwhelming. Jarvis slowly builds the action, balancing it out with scenes of Domek and Ora hanging out with loved ones or each other, giving the story an excellent pace.

Late 19th century Prague comes alive with Jarvis’ writing. She takes care not just to describe the scenery, but to include small details that make the whole more authentic. The worldbuilding isn’t overwhelming, but rather rely on our own history with an added layer of magic. I also appreciated that the creatures kept their Slavic names.

As for the LGBTQ+ representation, while Ora doesn’t label herself, she is unabashedly queer with frequent mentions of previous lovers of all kinds. One, Darina, even comes to play a role in the story. Her previous relationship with her husband and her budding one with Domek do not erase her sexuality, rather they are just as much a part of it.

The Lights of Prague by Nicola Jarvis is a fantastic adventure. It’s a great introduction to elements of Czech mythology, with dynamic main characters and a captivating story. I do hope to see more of Jarvis’s works in the future.

CW: Gore, violence, grief, antisemitism 

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willowy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

5.0

 The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis
Length: 416 Pages
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars


"There was a dark ocean in Ora's chest. It teemed with sharp teeth and gaping maws and spiked tentacles. Most days, she floated on top in a small rowboat, parasol on her shoulder, refusing to look into the abyss. If she fell in, she was quite sure she would drown."

A special thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for giving me an ARC of this book!

Trigger Warnings in this book for Violence, Gore, and Animal Death

All my life I've loved vampires. From the soft, glittering type, to the snarling, dangerous and black-eyed kind, I love them all, and consume vampire media like it's an addiction. So of course, I've run into some bad ones, though I have to admit, I have a fondness and nostalgia for a good cheesy vamp flick. While I would never say I'm growing bored of vampires, I do admit the genre needs some new blood (😉) injected into it. That is why I was so excited for Nicole Jarvis's The Lights of Prague and even made it one of my most anticipated books of the year! And boy, did it deliver.

Set in the historic and darkly beautiful city of Prague during the early 19th-century, an era of innovation, science, and gas street lamps that illuminate the shadowed streets. We follow two characters: the brooding yet gentle Domek Myska who belongs to the guild of Lamplighters, men who go out and light the lamps dotting the streets and stalk in search of creatures of the night; and Lady Ora Fischerová, a redhaired, hundreds of years old bisexual widow who keeps quite a distance between herself and other pijavice (The vampires in this setting. The word translates to "leeches"). Both are drawn to each other again and again, neither knowing the truth about one another. Their stories run parallel to one another as they investigate a strange claim that pijavice have found a "cure", leaving them immune to the usual killers of their kind: hawthorn and sunlight.

Featuring wonderfully interesting creatures, like the shadowy bubák, the water-dwelling vodník, a fascinating take on a will-o'-the-wisp, and the more common poltergeist, The Lights of Prague is an entrancing fantasy novel, set in the utterly Romantic and Gothic city of Prague, that seamlessly blends in aspects of historical fiction and horror. A new favorite, and a must-read for any fellow vamp lovers!

For more reviews visit my blog! 

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