Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Awakening by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham

73 reviews

ashsbooknook's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

3.0


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yarisbooksandbevs's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Honestly the writing isn’t Shakespeare but man was I invested. Those boys are so infuriating ahhh. I can’t wait to see these girls rise because I can see the fight in them and although I feel bad for what happened I know they’ll kick ass because they’re already badass.

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rolliepollie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

they really threw a dart at a board of all the dark fantasy romance tropes and the. said “fuck it, we ball” and added them all anyways. 
it was stupid but pretty fun, logic and reason take a second seat to sexy tension and bullying tropes. however, i am tuned in for the meanwhile! tory and darcy are equally stubborn and kinda annoying but the heirs + orion are trouble and frustrating in their own rights. 

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clementinerosereads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.0


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cait's review

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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nineinchnails's review

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

3.75

the writing style/prose is somewhat juvenile and wattpad-esque (i'm familiar with it from devouring brutal boys of everlake prep in november so it's not too jarring) however every time i was forced to put this down i was itching to pick it back up. it's definitely laced with something. the worldbuilding was super fun and interesting to read despite clearly pulling inspiration from other sources. everything gets revealed at a steady pace so even though it's a lot to juggle with i think they managed to pull it off; there's the magic academy thing (sorted by houses), elemental magic, fae orders, and probably more i'm missing at the moment. the world is super addictive for me but i could be biased because i fell in love with harry potter when i was 7 and that probably permanently altered my brain chemistry. this feels like a fusion of harry potter, the cruel prince, and winx club but adult and it's so captivating. it reminds me a little of the magicians tv show too (haven't read the books yet which is probably a cardinal sin) because it's an academy for adults but it's not quite as dark and satirical in tone imo.

the pacing probably isn't for everyone since the book moves pretty slowly but it focuses on character development and worldbuilding which is definitely my preference in fantasy. it makes me kinda wish we had chapters from the boys' pov but i'm hoping we'll get that in at least one of the later books. the pov being split between both twins might be annoying too since i did struggle remembering where one twin left off in their last chapter occasionally but they're both distinct enough for me to know who's chapter is whose so it could be a lot worse. considering how long this book is i should be pissed that barely any action happens but idk what to say it's like crack and it definitely didn't feel 400+ pages long. i really liked the characterisation of the twins and more importantly their relationship - it didn't ever get ugly between the two of them. despite all the shit they went through and the manipulation they faced they didn't let anything come between the two of them and it was really sweet. it kinda reminded me of my own relationships with my sisters (when we aren't at each others throats over stealing clothes or something) and felt realistic in that the traumatic shit we went through only made us more loyal and protective of each other instead of competitive.

there's probably more to say but it's nearly 1am and my brain is failing me so to conclude: this book is super OTT and you absolutely will get secondhand embarrassment but if you can suspend your disbelief (and have heeded the trigger warnings) you'll probably love it just for the pure entertainment. yes this book is unserious as fuck but i am seated!

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thewildbookcase's review against another edition

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

4.0

What I struggle with when writing this review is I hate almost everything that happens to Tori and Darcy in this book. I find 99% of the characters irredeemable and their actions entirely inexcusable- but this book is GRIPPING! I am dying to see the Vega twins rule the kingdom. 

I really enjoy the absurdist / farcical elements of this series. I know people say it’s not “high quality writing” and I understand why they say that. However, I think the Twisted Sister knew exactly which elements they wanted to emphasize the stupidity of- and the exaggerated features are there to entertain, which they do so successfully. 

I also really love Geraldine who is just someone I wish I had in my life. I love the Vega twins- I think their rise from the ashes is going to tell an amazing story. I love that the series uses elemental magic and I love how easy and quick it was to read. 

However, I knew from the first interaction that Tori and Darius will get together but it’s difficult to reconcile who Darius is now and who I know he will be
because burning her clothes and forcing her to expose her body against her will
lost all romantic credibility in my eyes. 

I also hate passively abusive people like Caleb.
Oh- I can’t “harm” you because it’s against the vampire code. Well inaction is an action and it helps the oppressor. At least he feels guilty about it but wtf.
 

Don’t even get me started on Lance and the other teachers.
Lance dragged them to ZA against their will and then treats them like shit- and Darcy has a crush on him?
Talk about abusive. 

I know it’s a bully romance and I know this world has a different understanding of what’s “normal” or accepted but it’s genuinely so aggravating. Yet I can’t stop reading. This is such a binge worthy series and while much of the world building makes my blood boil, an awful lot of the dialogue makes me laugh. 

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selestre's review

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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adalora's review against another edition

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

0.5

It had potential as a premise then quickly falls off. The storyline is a little addicting, but some of the things that happen are unnecessary and extremely off-putting. 

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autumnruth's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.0

This was book kept me entertained and annoyed at the same time. I loved the magical aspects to it, and I liked discovering this new world along with the twins. What I didn’t like was that the main girls in this book kept lusting after the men who tormented them. People described this book as a bully/romance, but really they’re extremely abusive and it shouldn’t be romanticized.

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