Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager by D.N. Bryn

5 reviews

pengustorm's review against another edition

It's the whole secretly trying to use a vampire to infiltrate a lab thing.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use and Kidnapping

nat_kiverse's review against another edition

dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Sexual content, Drug use, Gaslighting, Death, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol, Confinement, Bullying, and Gun violence

brims's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

3.0

Engaging and fun. I loved Vincent - so awkward and adorable. I liked how vampirism was worked into modern-day society. The pacing of the romance felt deliberately strung out at times - there were a lot of flimsy excuses given for why the characters couldn’t simply talk things out. Also, the quirky humor, text message conversations, and internet culture references sort of annoyed me. 

I think I'm just not the target audience for this book, but I still liked it overall.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Drug use, Grief, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol, Confinement, Death of parent, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Suicidal thoughts

anniereads221's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Murder, Drug use, Self harm, Death, and Blood

Medical experimentation Non consensual blood sucking (addressed) Manipulation

tinyelfarcanist's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The language, pace, and plot have the feel of a YA novel, but the characters are in their 20s and the story turns darker near the end. 

I didn't feel particularly connected to the characters. The romance felt a little bit too insta-love for me after they had just spent an evening together. There's talk about the need for therapy, but I believe it comes a little too late when things have already escalated.

I like Bryn's recurring theme of tearing down big corporations. That and fishnet gloves have made an appearance in both books I've read by the author. (If I had a nickel for every time I've found fishnet gloves in their books, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.)

In this book's world, there's blatant discrimination against vampires and they are treated as sub-human. There are clear parallels between those and real-life marginalized groups like immigrants, queer and disabled people.

There's an extra scene teasing what's to come for book 2, which sounds promising.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Hate crime, Grief, Ableism, Drug use, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, Outing, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Kidnapping, Torture, Self harm, Confinement, Abandonment, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing

Minor: Homophobia, Stalking, Gun violence, Addiction, and Drug abuse