Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

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

5 reviews

booksthatburn's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

5.0

Vincent has been sneaking into Wesley's house to bite him at night because his blood tastes so good he can't stay away. Wesley needs a vampire to hand in to a shady pharmaceutical company which experiments on vampires. Wesley wants the access to get information about his mother's disappearance after she signed up for one of the drug trials, but as he gets to know Vincent he starts seeing him as a person rather than just a means to an end. Vincent doesn't trust Wesley enough to confide that he's sleeping rough, hounded by someone who hates him for being a vampire and starts spreading that information to make his life impossible. The vampire hunters who work for the pharmaceutical company use classist tactics to make it impossible for vampires to live stable lives, then further take advantage of the precarity caused by being unhoused and unemployed to further the fear of vampires due to their diet. 

HOW TO BITE YOUR NEIGHBOR AND WIN A WAGER has a self-contained and very satisfying story, featuring a slow exploration of the boundaries between "liking someone who is a vampire" and having a vampire fetish. The romance builds slowly, held back for a while by mutual distrust and fascination which eventually turns into passion. I get very stressed out by stories where at least one of the characters in a relationship is lying, but this was handled in a way that meant I was able to finish the story without being too stressed to keep reading. I like a lot of things about how this was handled, from the worldbuilding sneaking in info about how vampires have existed for hundreds of years (or longer), to Wesley's long-distance best friend who can provide emotional support but can't solve the logistical problems. A lot of excellent storytelling decisions were involved, and I had a great time reading this.

I'm pretty sure one of the minor characters is the protagonist of the next book, but even if I'm wrong, there are some pretty big things that Vincent and Wesley weren't able to handle which could be addressed in future books. I'm looking forward to the next one!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Gaslighting, Confinement, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Torture, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Medical trauma, Homophobia, Excrement, and Medical content

princejello's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted reflective tense medium-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

4.0

I find this world's vampires fascinating and how they are within society. I also love myself some witty banter!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Racism

Moderate: Gaslighting and Sexual content

Minor: Death of parent

anntharai's review against another edition

emotional funny sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Medical trauma, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, and Sexual content

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

thenerdybookwitch's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny tense slow-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? N/A

3.75

Read the ARC of this and I enjoyed myself! These characters are so adorable and I liked seeing their relationship bloom in the weirdest way. It was a bit repetitive at times but other than that it’s great! Definitely want to see where this series goes.

CWs not included in the options: Non-consensual biting, and breaking and entering

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Medical trauma, Confinement, Medical content, Blood, Cursing, and Grief

Moderate: Alcohol, Gaslighting, Death, Sexual content, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Biphobia, Homophobia, Abandonment, Self harm, and Vomit