Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Betrayals by Bridget Collins

21 reviews

melliest's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Bullying, Suicide, Mental illness, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, and Grief

Minor: Alcoholism

risaleel's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry, Bullying, and Suicide

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Sexism, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Classism, Murder, Death of parent, and Mental illness

danicakvcs's review against another edition

emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Sexism, and Murder

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Grief

Minor: Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Body horror

lateromantic's review

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

Could've been a 5* book if it had fewer twists, strands, characters. I liked the voice, it was kind of Arthur Koestler x Dan Brown. as a bridge player, I'm obsessed with the idea of grand jeu now. wish it had been queerer tbh.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Hate crime, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Antisemitism, Blood, Abandonment, Sexism, Suicide, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Mental illness

added a trigger warning for antisemitism because the persecution of

christians

reminded me of

nazis

as well as

soviet gulags

rowanrelph's review against another edition

challenging hopeful mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Bullying, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, and Death

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, Suicide, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Classism, Death of parent, Cursing, Sexual content, Violence, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Murder

itisnatal's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Death, Suicide, and Blood

litliz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Grief, Bullying, Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Infidelity, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Vomit, Alcohol, and Classism

angry_tortoise's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

Moderate: Sexism, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Death, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry

shaylac's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

TLDR: the writing style is slower paced with 3 character perspectives that navigate Monteverre with flashbacks from 10 years previous. There are points in the book that are interesting and will keep your attention but there are other points where you're confused as to why the event makes sense in the storyline.

To start off, I was excited to read this book just by the description it seemed like the book was going to be about adventure, love, and mystery. However, as I was reading, it was slow-paced with no world building or character building. 

The entire book is based around the grand jeu but it was never explained how it was played or what is involved with making a grand jeu. I felt that I was left confused half the time trying to figure out who the characters were and how they fit into the story. With that, there were 3 different perspectives which "The Rat" would not have been missed if their perspective wasn't written.

It seemed like there wasn't enough thought put into writing the storyline and how the book would have ultimately ended. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Suicide, Bullying, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Self harm, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Confinement, Mental illness, and Murder

Minor: Cursing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Classism, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

phoe_bees's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Death

Moderate: Animal death, Grief, and Suicide

Minor: Blood