Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Le mystérieux et fantastique Blue Billings by Lily Morton

6 reviews

mallorypen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

That was a delightful romp of a ghost story and I enjoyed it thoroughly!

The pacing was great - the author didn't sacrifice character development for plot momentum, or vice versa. I had a good idea of everyone's personality and motivation, all while the mystery unfolded. I did figure out who the true villain was about halfway through the book, but in a way that still made the telling of the story wholly fun and believable.

Though I didn't love the "had to turn tricks to keep myself afloat" storyline - in this context, it felt a little cheap in the added-for-the-trope kind of way, and Blue's halfhearted trauma response was underwhelming for someone who had to go to extreme measures to survive. That said, it was a factor of the relationship as it developed between Blue and Levi, and I liked the confrontation wherein Blue was firm that he was able to make his own decisions, no matter the circumstances. 

The ghost story was fun - perhaps a tad melodramatic in the descriptions of the haunting and the grand reveal, but still enjoyable. It didn't give me the same creeping sense of horror from other gothic novels, but it was a fun narrative arc that moved the story along at a nice clip with lots of room for storytelling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Violence, Death, and Suicide

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

jennifox's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Grief, and Death

Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Suicide

wilybooklover's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

4.0

A great balance of spooky vibes and wholesome romance. The mystery of the ghost was a bit obvious, but still enjoyable to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Violence, Blood, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent, Medical content, Grief, and Gore

Minor: Mental illness, Child abuse, Suicide, and Infidelity

fuzzywilson's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Murder

frantic_vampire's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

I loved this book so much! I loved the ghost tours, the history, the super creepy haunted house, and of course, the ghosts (especially Rosalind!). It was just such a fun read.

I honestly really loved Blue and Levi. They had such an interesting dynamic right from the start and it just got better and better the more I read. I liked that Blue so guarded and Levi was so open. I also liked that Levi was a little bit of a skeptic about all the ghostly things that were going on in his house.

I think the only thing that I didn’t really love about this book was how quickly Blue and Levi fell into a relationship. I felt like that part was just a bit rushed. Though I did appreciate that Blue (and Levi to a smaller extent) was a little skeptical of everything that led up to them falling into their relationship. Even when he wanted to let it happen. So that was nice.

Over all, this was such a great read and I can’t wait to read more! This is getting a solid four and a half stars. 😊

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Blood, Suicide, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Death, Infidelity, and Murder

Minor: Violence and Terminal illness

cluckieduck's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

Oh boy am I in love. Blue is an absolutely enchanting character and Levi is a perfectly gooey cinnamon roll. I felt my heart break for both of them throughout the book - there are wonderful elements of a hurt/comfort relationship as they both deal with past traumas and emotional vulnerabilities. I appreciated how much of a slow-burn this was, though I am hoping that book 2 picks up a bit more spice!

This is my first supernatural romance with ghosts/haunted houses and I would recommend it as a good introduction to the genre - it's fairly 'ghost-light' I'd say, at least in the horror elements. I don't know if I could take more than the level that appears in this book, all set against the deliciously spooky York setting. 

If you can look past the (IMO) atrociously ugly cover, give this one a go!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Body horror, Confinement, Violence, Blood, Cursing, and Sexual content

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Child abuse