Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Dark Night Golden Dawn by Allison Carr Waechter

8 reviews

bree_h_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

1.5

For a book that I thought started pretty strong, rating it so low is such a disappointment.

I LOVED how casually queer it was. I loved the setup of immortals and immortal adjacent being high society and needing to navigate that. I love how the MC’s history was hinted at and implied and it gave us a sense of the dynamics between her and the other characters and how fragile they were. And I LOVED how much it reminded me of Pride & Prejudice and Bridgerton.

HOWEVER I felt like it fell off at the middle. The MC and LI had a conflict from their past and it would take a lot to work through and resolve. And while the book handled recovering from an unhealthy relationship fairly well, this conflict was just brushed over. This was an early sign for the rest of the plot where issues and plot points were rushed through, information was dumped onto the audience, and the romance was FLOWN through and felt rushed.

My only other notable issues were how easy it was to get lost while magic was being practiced. Everything was described in a really loose way, which can work to emphasise how other worldly it is, but if it’s to the detriment of the reader understanding what’s happening in the scene it ought to be reworked. Finally, as always, these characters were REALLY horny at REALLY weird times. Like y’all should not be thinking about hooking up in the remains of your ex, just saying.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Confinement, and Death

Moderate: Torture, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Sexism, Addiction, Drug use, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Fatphobia, Child abuse, and Alcoholism

Minor: Medical content, Eating disorder, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, and Grief

anka_al's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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

5.0

I love the world building, the writing style, the characters. This book felt deeply personal to me. I especially love the little sci-fi touch in the world building. I also love the seemless integration of technology. It doesn't feel alien or misplaced. As this is the book is the first in a series I still have some questions but it doesn't feel like plot holes. The characters are multifaceted, well thought out and rounded.

I also love how the lgbtqia reps are woven into the story. I especially love Larkin and the maters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Mental illness, and Self harm

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse

Minor: Classism, Alcoholism, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Fatphobia, and Homophobia

teaand_tomes's review

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.0

I found the plot of Dark Night Golden Dawn to be incredibly intricate and filled with intriguing lore and mystery. The exploration of the Scroll of Akatei and its significance to the characters' past, present, and future has left me curious and eager to uncover its secrets.

The relationship between Finn and Harlow, with its second-chance romance, was charming. While I enjoyed their reconciliation, I personally would have appreciated a bit more angst before they reunited.

The author skillfully portrayed Harlow's dark and complex emotions, making her a relatable and tangible character. I appreciated how the author depicted Harlow navigating her struggles both independently and with the support of her loved ones. The moments where Harlow withdrew from others in response to stress and overwhelming emotions felt incredibly realistic.

I particularly enjoyed how the story initially resembled a fantasy version of Pride & Prejudice, with its five sisters, well-meaning parents, and high society gentlemen reminiscent of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. However, I also appreciated the deviations from this familiar path, allowing the story to pay homage to Jane Austen's classic without simply reinterpreting it.

Overall, Dark Night Golden Dawn is a captivating fantasy romance set in a contemporary world of magic, deception, and betrayal. Its intricate plot, well-developed characters, and realistic exploration of emotions make for an engaging read. I eagerly anticipate diving further into The Immortal Orders Trilogy and discovering what lies ahead for Finn and Harlow.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting

Minor: Body shaming, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, Outing, Blood, Hate crime, and Vomit

mycatnorbert's review

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? No

4.75

I loved the main character and the world building in this book. It really takes an interesting turn at the end, but overall an enjoyable read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Stalking, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Colonisation, Death of parent, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use

gimmiiie's review

emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Outing, Physical abuse, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, and Death of parent

finnickdeservedbetter's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

Tropes/Themes:

second chance, friends to enemies to lovers, enemies to allies to friends, healing from abuse, ancient war, oppressive rulers, rare powers

Rep:

bi (1+ character (fmc)), lesbian (2+ characters), gay (2 characters), non-binary (2 characters), wlw (5 characters), nblm (2 characters), aro-ace (1 character)

+ are due to the main character's parents who are wlw but it's never specified if they're bi, lesbian, pan, etc.

Written review to come

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Violence

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Sexual violence, Torture, Child abuse, Infidelity, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, and Fire/Fire injury

sydreadslots's review

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

This book was like a love child of Bridgerton, Crescent City with a sprinkle of a witchy mystery. And a bit of fun from gossip sites.  It drew me in from the moment I started. The world building and the characters felt unique and well written. When Harlow gets out of an abusive relationship and reunites with her family, she is convinced to join the ‘season’, a series match making events and rituals among shifters, sorcerers, vampires and the elite ruling race of the Illuminated. She is forced to pair off with Finn McKay in the hopes of saving her family’s shop and the sorcerer run section of the city. After suffering heartbreak at his hands years prior, they become reluctant partners as the cracks in their illuminated run society start to show. I’m not normally into second chance romances but the tension and feelings between Harlow and Finn were impossible not to love. The cast of characters in this including both blood and found family really made Dark Night Golden Dawn stand out to me. While the subject matter was distinctly magical and played out in an urban fantasy setting, the trauma and depiction of Harlow’s healing and struggle after an emotionally abusive relationship was incredibly done and despite the hard subject matter was one of my favorite aspects of the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Alcoholism and Drug abuse

fran_h's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Mental illness, Body shaming, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders