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fromlindenmere's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Gore, Animal death, Addiction, Alcohol, and Child death
no1willnot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, War, Addiction, and Child abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Rape, Homophobia, and Domestic abuse
It’s a book about vampire wars that centres around a religious order of vampire hunters based heavily in Christianity, so there is a LOT of blood, violence and institutional abuseprincessxnicole's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Cursing, and Blood
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Addiction, Sexual content, and Homophobia
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, War, Torture, Religious bigotry, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, and Death
Moderate: Sexism, Animal death, Child death, Death of parent, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual violence
readwithanne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Torture, and War
Minor: Pregnancy
miacorvere14's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Animal death, Gore, and Religious bigotry
ridleyreadsthings's review against another edition
- 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
You can tell Kristoff really took his time with the worldbuilding and character building. It's a incredibly dark, dangerous world that is far from boring and every chapter brought more depth and lore. No two characters were really the same either. He's blended vampire horror and mystery and fantasy to create something truly epic. Definitely not for kids this book. It's visceral and brutal and will leave you bleeding for more.
It's not your typical vampire story either. While they are beautiful, elegant eternal creatures, they still are monstrous and act as monsters. They aren't climbing through your bedroom window to read you poetry, they are evil - but even that evil had layers. Full of characters you love to hate, and hate to love, I can't wait to see where this epic journey ends up.
On the downside though it was what I expected of Kristoff - arrogant "woke" MC with the mouth of a sailor. All the swearing and childish playground insults kind off took me out of the story, and I found myself rolling my eyes alot.
But in the same breath I was incredibly suprised by this book. It's different from anything he's ever written, and I enjoyed the back and forth of the story into two points in the past, and I liked the narritive of that it's Gabriel telling his story, but we are still building up to something greater in the present day.
I think everyone can find something they love about this book, whether it's the worldbuilding, the cast of diverse characters, the brutal horror aspects, the tattoo worthy tattoos or the twists and twists and twists.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, and Gore
Minor: Torture, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
sabrinz's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
______
700 pages never felt so short (and so full of beautiful art! Those art pieces alone should receive 5 stars). However, I have to give a minor dedication because of the sheer amount of cultures that are thrown around in the book (and for most of them you recognize the actual culture/country they were based on) - sometimes it just felt like a little too much.
Having said that, the story is nothing to frown upon. This book is a fest of vampire stories and movies from the past (the scarily good ones, the brutally ugly ones, and the bloody ones). It tells the story of a vampire slayer and his journey from a once devoted member of the Silver Order to a man, jaded and stooped by his years and fallen from his believes. Locked up in a cell with a vampire chronicles, Gabriel de León tells the story of how exactly he came to be in that cell. And that story ain't all kicks and giggles. There are kicks (and punches, and cuts and sword fights) aplenty, some giggles but also bleak and brutal story telling (very reminiscent of Nevernight).
If you pick up this book, you better buckle up for a ride, mes amis!
I don't really want to say much more about the story, apart from that it jumps between three times (the now with Gabriel being imprisoned, the beginning of how he came to be a vampire slayer and the bit in between).
I honestly have to say I did not like him at first, but the more I read the more he grew on me ... like moss. It seems annoying at first, but it's soft and nice - and by the end of this book, my heart was breaking for him (and many other people).
This story has evil vampires a plenty, gore, slaying, cursing and really, really good lines and sentiments, but above all the thing that hit me most was the damn tragedy of it all.
I have answer for a few questions I picked up along the way, some are still unanswered and by the last 100 pages I had more new questions on my list of things that need to be talked about. So now all I can do is patiently wait for book 2.
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Torture, Death of parent, Animal death, Drug use, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Suicide attempt, Homophobia, Child abuse, and Outing
foreverinastory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Rep: Achillean Black male side character, achillean male side character, two sapphic female side characters, various BIPOC side characters.
CWs: Alcohol consumption/alcoholism, animal death, blood, body shaming, child abuse, cursing, death, death of parent, fire/fire injury, gore, homophobia, injury/injury detail, misogyny, murder, religious bigotry, sexism, sexual content, torture, violence, war.
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and War
applejacksbooks's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.
From start to finish I was captured by the storytelling. I loved the prose and how it's a story within a story. I can see the inspiration from Name of the Wind and Interview with a Vampire and The Da Vinci Code, but this somehow takes all three and makes them better.
Pros: I loved all of the creative new ways to insult someone. The jumping from the past being told and back to the present was really well done as the character that's "interviewing" our main guy asks him to explain things that the reader might not have understood otherwise.
Cons: I don't really have a ton at the moment. The flipping between French and Scots when the characters speak was a little rough to get through in some places.
Overall, though I love the story and I really cannot wait to get both copies of it that I ordered
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, and War