Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

A Venom Dark And Sweet by Judy I. Lin

4 reviews

vixenreader's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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

3.25

The last third of the book saved it from transforming into another typical YA troupe, especially with its use of folklore. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Torture, Murder, Genocide, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Grief, Body horror, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcohol, War, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical content, Child abuse, and Classism

Minor: Cursing

Be aware that there are graphic moments of possession, trading human lives for power, chronic pain, broken limbs, and parasites being removed from body parts.

queergoth_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.0

I received this eARC from NetGalley but all thoughts are my own. 

This picks up straight after the events of A Magic Steeped in Poison. I don't want to spoil that for anyone that hasn't read it so I'll keep it vague. We follow Ning as she journeys across the kingdom, not knowing who to trust or where she belongs, but determined to save it. 

The second book had a different feel to the first one for me. It was darker and while it still focuses heavily on magic, it wasn't quite in the same way as the first. I guess the strong focus on Ning developing her magic in the first book was to introduce the magic system but I just the ceremonies and problem solving of the first one. This one focuses more on the threats to the kingdom and the journey taken to save it and I would have liked a blend of the two a little more. 

I still really enjoyed this though. The magic and mythology are so wonderfully weaved into this story and the author does an amazing job of making you care about every character, even if they have a relatively small part. And as always, I love a good description of food in books and this book gives me that and more. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Violence, and War

Moderate: Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcohol

booksthatburn's review against another edition

This picks up with no overlap from the end of the first book. The shift from a first-person perspective only in the first one to a combination of two narrators (one in first person and one in third person) makes the events at the palace feel disconnected. The first book ended in a cliffhanger where it was uncertain whether Ning would live or die, but then when this book begins she's just fine, with very little fanfare. I also remembered very little of the plot from the first book, partly because only a few important things actually happened. The story so far feels like it has very little to do with A MAGIC STEEPED IN POISON, and it's not one I'm interested in.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Blood, Violence, and Death

Minor: Animal death, Self harm, Murder, Death of parent, Dementia, Mental illness, and Medical content

chris_reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Murder and Medical content

Minor: Terminal illness, Violence, Alcohol, and Body horror