Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Blood and Ash - Liebe kennt keine Grenzen: Jennifer L. Armentrouts Weltbestseller in prachtvoller Deluxe-Ausstattung mit spektakulärem Farbschnitt. Roman by Jennifer L. Armentrout

127 reviews

graceev's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 46%

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War

Moderate: Death of parent

eviegirl's review against another edition

2.25

adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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This wasn't bad and I will read book 2, but many of the things that happened made me uncomfortable. If I had known they would happen, I wouldn't have started it. 
I changed my mind and did not read book 2. She is an 18 year old but supposed to be almost as good as someone with 50 years experience in sword fighting, when she only gets to practice in secret. She is also annoying and whiney. I got 8% into book 2 before realizing the only reason I finished #1 was it was an audiobook so someone else did the heavy lifting. Disappointing and not great writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

drarig96's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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The book started slow but it just got better as I read. The FMC has flaws but she's also strong, feisty and intelligent. The MMC is morally grey. There's some touch her and die, if you know what I mean. There are a few betrayals, good banters... The world is setted and I can't wait to read more.

For those with triggers, check them before you start. Otherwise, enjoy! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Gore

trapjawjones's review against another edition

5.0

challenging funny mysterious tense 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: Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, War, Classism

ksilvio's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging funny lighthearted 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

xosmitten's review against another edition

1.75

dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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I became intrigued in the last chapter, up until then I wasn’t going to read the next book, so the author did a good job there. The book moved too slow, it felt like things were happening but also weren’t idk how to explain it. 

I also don’t find the main character to be very strong vs the male. She immediately slept with him and is even still angry about her assuming he faked his feelings and he gets off easy.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail

librariangie's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, War, Injury/Injury detail

pagesbycaroline's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Kind of a slow start with lots of world building that didn't make a lot of sense to have right at the beginning. The slow burn was enticing and the multiple twists at the end were entertaining.

The betrayal sequence was very similar to a scene I thought up in my head years ago and it was done better than I ever could have.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Kidnapping, Grief, Alcohol

pinheiro_94's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent

wonderedpages's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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From Blood and Ash had so much promise: a fierce girl with a blade, a seductive, brooding immortal prince, and a dark fantasy world full of political intrigue and secrets. But what could have been a gripping, steamy epic instead got bogged down in repetitive inner monologues, a glacially paced first half, and a romance that asked me to suspend disbelief just a bit too much.

I’ll give Jennifer L. Armentrout this: the lore is dense and detailed. Vampiric castes, culty kingdoms, and magical bloodlines. I actually enjoyed unraveling the hierarchy of Atlantians, Ascended, Craven, and Wolven. The problem? It takes over 300 pages for the story to do anything with all that setup. I could’ve skipped straight to page 313 and missed nothing of importance except Poppy’s self-indulgent thoughts and a dozen lectures disguised as dialogue.

Poppy, our “Maiden,” was raised in isolation by a religious cult and spends the majority of the book

ping-ponging between being a sheltered, naive narrator and a total badass with a dagger.

The latter was great. The former? Painfully frustrating. I understood her confusion and repression, but wow, the girl’s curiosity rarely translated into actual intelligence. Still, I appreciated the subtle realism in how abuse, gaslighting, and captivity have shaped her. She’s learning, even if slowly.

Now let’s talk Hawke.

Or Casteel. Or “The Dark One.” Or Mr. Sex Scene Monologue. He’s a 200+ year old prince-turned-rogue who somehow falls for this cult-brainwashed teenager because she holds his hand a couple of times and says sassy things. Their chemistry was hot, I’ll admit. The sex scenes were the best part of the book; detailed, consensual, and actually sexy. Casteel talks her through pleasure, praises her fighting spirit, and treats her like an equal (once you ignore the kidnapping and marriage plans, minor details, right?). But the insta-love was a big eye-roll, especially considering his age, experience, and mission.

There were some solid twists, but I called most of them chapters before they happened.

Hawke being an Atlantian? Obvious. The Ascended lying about the gods? Called it. Poppy being half-Atlantian? I mean… come on.

If this had been a tighter, better-paced 250-page book, it could’ve really landed. But slogging through Poppy’s repetitive veil-wearing monologues and everyone avoiding direct answers wore me out.

I won’t be continuing the series,

though I’ll miss Hawke whispering filth in the snow and praising Poppy’s stabby side. A man who admires your violence and talks you through an orgasm? Unmatched.

But not enough to save the book for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual harassment

Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Toxic friendship, War