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drasticpear's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
And when our work is done, I will carry him to the bottom of the sea, where we both belong. Deep beneath the silt our bones will turn to salt.
This was lovely and unnerving.
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Gore, Murder, and Blood
joonjxne's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, and Self harm
Moderate: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Incest, Stalking, and Violence
readingpicnic's review
3.75
Graphic: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Torture
Moderate: Stalking
scottsland_yard's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The plot line is convoluted and difficult to follow, the characters come across as a bit try-hard edgy (though they do have their moments), and the world building is lacking in substance and clear rules, especially around the use of magic.
It reads like a Sweeney Todd fan adapted a fanfiction, which is unfortunate.
That being said, it's definitely not the worst thing I've read, and I'm sure some would find it quite enjoyable. It's fantastical and gory, and it's a huge bonus that the main two characters are gay. Or at least, into each other.
Graphic: Body horror, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, Excrement, Gore, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Cursing
slimygf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Rape, Incest, and Pedophilia
jems_'s review
3.5
I do love dark sceneries and myths which I think this book did perfectly. It had a dark and gritty atmosphere, one you wouldn’t want to be in yourself. A glum industrial town would not be the place I‘d like to spend any amount of time in. Such is Elendhaven.
I also liked the myths in this book and the tad bit of the supernatural making them real.
The characters however felt a bit inconsequential at some points. With how I imagined them, some of the things they did and said felt somewhat out of character.
I would’ve also liked for the book to be a bit longer to explore the characters, especially the „monster-ization“ a bit longer and maybe over the course of that the author could’ve slowly introduced this behavior that seemed odd to me now and make it more believable.
Also beware of the trigger warnings if you read this!
One other thing: As a German reading this, it was funny because it uses some German terms. I mean „Elend“ alone is German and roughly translates to „misery“ which makes sense for the town.
Graphic: Violence, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Blood, Stalking, and Death
Minor: Drug use, Death of parent, and Incest
tinyjude's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Stalking, Child abuse, Sexual content, Death, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Gore, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Genocide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Torture, Rape, Alcohol, Drug use, Self harm, and Grief
Minor: Incest
bitter_rabbit's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Death, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse
fishfish's review
Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Rape, Murder, and Sexual content
tey_lynn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Minor: Child abuse, Gore, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Child death