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challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i ate this up
my main criticism is that this book is heavily marketed as ‘toxic lesbian vampires’ but not once is the word lesbian actually uttered in the book. i understand that a majority of the time periods didn’t really allow for that because they didn’t have that sort of language but there’s no reason Alice couldn’t have said she was a lesbian instead of gay. this may be my own personal pet peeve but i find a lot of authors are afraid to say lesbian or have characters explicitly state that they are a lesbian, and it’s especially disheartening when the book was marketed as ‘toxic lesbian vampires’.
aside from that i really enjoyed and felt like i was reading too different books once we got to charlotte’s parts and it’s unfortunate to watch sabine’s decline. also really not understand how tfsabine got into alice’s room and turn her so i wish we had more clarity on that and did not see charlottes death so that was wild
my main criticism is that this book is heavily marketed as ‘toxic lesbian vampires’ but not once is the word lesbian actually uttered in the book. i understand that a majority of the time periods didn’t really allow for that because they didn’t have that sort of language but there’s no reason Alice couldn’t have said she was a lesbian instead of gay. this may be my own personal pet peeve but i find a lot of authors are afraid to say lesbian or have characters explicitly state that they are a lesbian, and it’s especially disheartening when the book was marketed as ‘toxic lesbian vampires’.
aside from that i really enjoyed and felt like i was reading too different books once we got to charlotte’s parts and it’s unfortunate to watch sabine’s decline. also really not understand how tf
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence
Martial Rape
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not sure what to say about this. I didn’t really know what it was about going into it but it was a welcome surprise. That said it’s long winded. I enjoyed Maria’s story until I didn’t and I enjoyed Charlotte’s story. I think I’m on her side really. Toxic ex? Been there. Alice was a bit hit and miss for me. Disappointed with the outcome and there is not really an HEA in this. It kind of makes you feel sad and deflated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Homophobia, Murder, Lesbophobia, Classism
Marital rape
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
Minor: Child death, Death
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maria grew up poor and takes the opportunity to get out of poverty when she becomes old enough to wed. When she marries a viscount, she quickly realizes she is not interested in being his wife or specifically having his children. When she is forced to move in with his terrible parents while he is away, Maria befriends the local widow Sabine. Maria and Sabine spend a lot of time together at Sabine's apothecary, and Sabine teaches Maria a plethora of useful information, from reading to making tonics. Sabine informs Maria that she is leaving town for good, and Maria decides to run away with her. Before they leave, Sabine turns Maria into a vampire, without Maria completely knowing what she is consenting to. From here, Maria spends the next almost 500 years roaming Europe and being an absolute menace.
Overall, I liked the book. The first 20% was very slow and hard to get into, but it did pick up.
Overall, I liked the book. The first 20% was very slow and hard to get into, but it did pick up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, War
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
・❥・ ❝Those grown in the midnight soil are never alone.❞ 🥀
An ode to hunger, to grief, to loneliness within the promise of eternity. Hearts doomed to ache as the bodies wander, stuck in cycles of rage and pain and abuse.
I so wanted this story to capture me the way it has captured so many out there. The writing is beautifully embellished and promising of greatness. However, the pace kept removing me from the narrative. It felt slow and as if parts of the plot were missing. 😫 It’s certainly a character-driven story divided into timelines. The book spans several centuries and we follow three different women as they claim and reclaim, as they lust and hunger, as they chase and are chased. There is power imbalance and need for control or the need to escape it. I certainly got the “toxic” aspect of the toxic lesbian vampires. 😅
I love paranormal stories — anything about vampires will always have a place in my heart. You make them a little bit morally grey too and you’ve got me hooked. So I did find the exploration of vampirism and the notion of how immortal beings wither fascinating to read. I think it was done poetically well. 🤍
In terms of favourite main characters, I did enjoy most of them for different reasons. If I had to pick, I’d say I liked aspects of Alice and Charlotte the most. Sabine started strongly for me, but then she became very two dimensional and didn’t have much more evolution as a character I found.
Overall, it’s something I would recommend albeit for the discussions it generates! ✨
An ode to hunger, to grief, to loneliness within the promise of eternity. Hearts doomed to ache as the bodies wander, stuck in cycles of rage and pain and abuse.
I so wanted this story to capture me the way it has captured so many out there. The writing is beautifully embellished and promising of greatness. However, the pace kept removing me from the narrative. It felt slow and as if parts of the plot were missing. 😫 It’s certainly a character-driven story divided into timelines. The book spans several centuries and we follow three different women as they claim and reclaim, as they lust and hunger, as they chase and are chased. There is power imbalance and need for control or the need to escape it. I certainly got the “toxic” aspect of the toxic lesbian vampires. 😅
I love paranormal stories — anything about vampires will always have a place in my heart. You make them a little bit morally grey too and you’ve got me hooked. So I did find the exploration of vampirism and the notion of how immortal beings wither fascinating to read. I think it was done poetically well. 🤍
In terms of favourite main characters, I did enjoy most of them for different reasons. If I had to pick, I’d say I liked aspects of Alice and Charlotte the most. Sabine started strongly for me, but then she became very two dimensional and didn’t have much more evolution as a character I found.
Overall, it’s something I would recommend albeit for the discussions it generates! ✨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder