Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

14 reviews

abicaro17's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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

3.5

This book starts off so strong. Alessandra is the second daughter of an earl looking to gain power and acknowledgement by marrying the Shadow King, Kallias. The problem? She plans to kill him right after. Alessandra is cunning, vicious, manipulative, and talented in many ways. I think the general plot was so fun! I love a good murderess and mystery. Alessandra is fun to read as well with all her inner monologue and complex feelings about people. My issues with this book stem from development (or lack thereof). To me, Alessandra and the world building feel underdeveloped. Alessandra is supposed to be this devious murderess with this plot, but her idea is quite literally just to poison him and hope the blame gets placed on a neighboring kingdom. Also past the first few chapters she doesn't seem very murder prone. I think her initial characterization was much more interesting than what we were left with. My other issue stems from world building. In terms of kingdoms and the country laws we are never given any explanations. This leaves me at a loss at times for why things are the way they are politically. I think this book could definitely benefit from some elaboration and possibly a different ending? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Classism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Sexism, Violence, War, Alcohol, Gun violence, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Toxic friendship

stllyltc's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

It's an easy read that catapults with a strong heroine, who considers herself sexually empowered. She is on a mission to rule the kingdom by seducing the shadow king and killing him to gain control and power. The planning it took for her and overall resolve were there. Although she seemed to be a villainess type, she had principles that didn't make you hate her in a way. I'm not a big fan of some parts, especially the peak of the plot, but the little twist saved it, and it's fast to finish if you're in for a quick read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, Alcohol, Abandonment, Blood, and Child death

val_theburrowofstories's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Blood, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Death of parent

babwans's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Grief, Murder, Emotional abuse, Child death, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Child abuse

katvou's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Grief, Medical content, Sexual content, Violence, Gaslighting, Slavery, Child death, Gun violence, Drug abuse, and Sexism

headinthepages's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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

4.5

I so enjoyed reading about Allessandra - a fiery independent murdress, and a shadow king brought together.

I loved the story and loved the romance and could happily read an entire series about these characters!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Infidelity, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Death, Sexism, Sexual content, Body horror, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

karelidz's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Hmm.. I don´t know...
I thought it would be better. I was expecting it to be better.
It was fine, but i feel like it mostly left me confused with the way the mystery was solved. I was enjoying it and then the ending left me like: "???? THATS the ending?"
It also seemed to me that the secondary characters weren´t  thaat fleshed out. I kept forgetting who was who; they all sounded the same.
Also, i feel like there might be plot-holes..?

Idk, either way it was an enjoyable read. Might not reread or buy a physical copy of the book but i had a good time reading it. Might have liked a bit more spice as it's what i think they call a "closed door" romance/situation. But it was over-all fine

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Violence

lauritbh's review

adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense fast-paced

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

5.0

this is one of those books where when you start reading, you can NOT put it down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

haley49's review

adventurous

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

4.0

The characters are bad people but you still root for them??? They are casually down with murder and classism but are kind of feminists so it’s okay??? 
My feelings on the main characters are mixed but I loved them evolving  together and realizing how alike they were, The pace felt natural and the story was interesting. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Murder, War, Violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Medical content, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, and Alcohol

rensreading's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

by chapter 2, i was seriously considering DNFing this book but i carried on because the synopsis promised me a love interest that hadn’t been introduced yet and i wanted a glimpse of him before i DNFed.

i’m so glad i waited for him. he carried this novel on his back, his poor shoulders must be breaking under the strain of all that success. kallias is my everything. he was the only reason i started liking alessandra. and by the time he learns of what she did to her first lover (though his age is never brought up, i’m still of the opinion that hektor groomed her) then laughs about it, i realized they really deserved each other.

(in reality, i started liking alessandra when she schemed her friend out of a marriage he would have hated and solved her own problem of unwanted suitors with it. how could i not adore a girlboss?)

the political intrigue and the plot were absolutely marvelous. i started suspecting the assassin by the time that he confessed to alessandra while kallias was listening. i kept wondering why alessandra didn’t see it until it was almost too late but i am glad that his sexism was what caused his demise. a man like him truly assumed that alessandra was nothing less than a noblewoman newly scorned by her ex-lover. what a mistake!

kallias was down bad for alessandra and i loved that fact by the end too lol definitely a 5 stars read for me (:

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Body horror and Alcohol

Minor: Classism, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Emotional abuse

Slut shaming happens a lot as well.