Reviews tagging 'Gore'

The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi

40 reviews

talonsontypewriters's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

• 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Fatphobia, Rape, Vomit, and Pandemic/Epidemic

aurora4847's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring tense 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

4.0

I get the hype behind this series. The balance between political intrigue, action, and character development was perfect. I could not stop listening. It helps that I love the narrators' voices. I'm so excited to continue the series and see where everything is going next!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Fatphobia, Gore, Racial slurs, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Eating disorder, Sexual harassment, and War

This book is intense. There is a strong caste system with all the racism and classism that goes along with it. There are 2 public executions described with varying amounts of detail. Multiple characters experience the death of family members (including parents). The magic system is based on blood, so self harm for rituals is common. One caste suffers mutilation as children (process not described, only results). There is police brutality similar to that in the United States. There are flashbacks to child abuse, and multiple characters are involuntarily confined in varying spaces (including solitary confinement). The main character struggles with addiction through the whole story, and there are depictions of drug use, interventions, and withdrawal symptoms.

abernoodle's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Dysphoria

fanboyriot's review against another edition

slow-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

4.0

Read For:

✓ Slow Burn

✓ Queer POC

✓ Grumpy x Sunshine 

✓ Queernormative World 

✓ Interesting Magic System

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗

Not going to lie this book intimidated me for the longest time, fantasy books with small fonts tend to do that.  However, I really enjoyed this book once I started reading it.  Both the world building and character development were done well.  The queer representation was done so nicely and the topics of addiction were written with care.  It showed addiction in a more realistic light than some books, and showed the cycle of abuse along with recovery.

While it was a little slower in the middle of the book the beginning and end really made up for it.  Overall, the hierarchy of the different colors of blood was such an interesting idea and played well into the plot.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️

Angst Level: 💧💧

POV: Third Person 

Release Date: 23, June 2022

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting

crybabybea's review against another edition

This will be my biggest disappointment of 2024, damn I was excited for this. 

It was fine, but the world-building was lackluster despite some really cool ideas. Main characters have really unique struggles that made them interesting. I can't get past the heavy exposition dumping, messy writing, and whiplash tone changes. If I were more interested in the plot I would keep going, but I have no interest in reading a training/trials story. Feels uninspired and overdone. Also there's a borderline incest romance happening and I just can't handle that lol

Might pick it up later but I feel myself actively avoiding reading it so I'm giving up for now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Torture, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

timbitsreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful 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

4.75

This was a great read. It was exciting, well paced and I was immediately drawn into the story and the characters. The world building is intriguing and the mystery around The Ending Fire is something I look forward to exploring more in the next book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction and Gore

Minor: Body shaming

avocadosocks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Fatphobia, and Excrement

nixoneshoe's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Classism

Minor: Child death, Fatphobia, and Suicide attempt

raynelib's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gore, Self harm, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Ableism and Death

Minor: Death of parent

isopod_lover's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I adore this book. I have to wait 10 weeks for the next book because my library only has one copy

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, and Classism