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Reviews tagging 'Murder'
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
223 reviews
24carrotgay's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
i would give this book 10 stars if i could!! it is hands-down the most beautiful story i have ever heard. i am in awe of how the story was so beautifully woven (pun intended) together. the love between red and blue is palpable. it is so deep and so vast that my arms get goosebumps and my eyes threaten to cry. i am left speechless. this book is everything. it will forever be one of my favorites.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, Animal death, Death, Gore, Murder, and War
Moderate: Body horror and Confinement
Minor: Torture
angelofthetardis's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
In an endless war to control time, what starts as a taunting exchange of letters between two rival warriors develops into a lasting bond between the pair. But battle still rages, and consorting with the enemy could have dire consequences if discovered. So what's more important; winning the war, or each other?
I have to say that this is a beautifully written piece; the imagery it invokes is wonderfully powerful, and the feelings of the characters as they develop soar from the page. You are immediately pulled into the story and kept there, and while you might try to anticipate the story as it progresses, the authors have done a fab job at keeping the reader guessing. For such a short book, it packs a powerful punch!
However, while this has lots of elements that should make it slot perfectly into my wheelhouse (time travel, enemies-to-lovers etc etc), I'm finding it very difficult to place, I think because the writing style is so very different to what I would usually enjoy. There is practically no context to the wider events, and little in the way of worldbuilding to allow you to understand the mechanics of the roles the characters are playing and the sides they are on. As a result, it reads more like a series of vignettes than a strong 'linear' narrative, with the authors describing how the characters receive each letter (in various weird and wonderful ways) before revealling the content. But it feels like there are just too many unknowns or unanswered questions about who they are, what they're doing and how they got there.
I will admit that a very small part of me sees the characters as The Doctor and The Master - hey, if you mention the Time War, my brain is on a one way trip to Doctor Who land! But in an odd way this helped me grasp the basis of Red and Blue's story better, I suppose because I could then contextualise the characters and their relationship. It's by no means a perfect fit, but enough seemed to resonate that it helped. Again, there are so many unknowns about the characters for me.
I could see this making a beautiful one-off TV series, or even an anime series, as the visuals from the page scream to be brought to life. I definitely enjoyed reading it, but not quite as much as I'd hoped.
I have to say that this is a beautifully written piece; the imagery it invokes is wonderfully powerful, and the feelings of the characters as they develop soar from the page. You are immediately pulled into the story and kept there, and while you might try to anticipate the story as it progresses, the authors have done a fab job at keeping the reader guessing. For such a short book, it packs a powerful punch!
However, while this has lots of elements that should make it slot perfectly into my wheelhouse (time travel, enemies-to-lovers etc etc), I'm finding it very difficult to place, I think because the writing style is so very different to what I would usually enjoy. There is practically no context to the wider events, and little in the way of worldbuilding to allow you to understand the mechanics of the roles the characters are playing and the sides they are on. As a result, it reads more like a series of vignettes than a strong 'linear' narrative, with the authors describing how the characters receive each letter (in various weird and wonderful ways) before revealling the content. But it feels like there are just too many unknowns or unanswered questions about who they are, what they're doing and how they got there.
I will admit that a very small part of me sees the characters as The Doctor and The Master - hey, if you mention the Time War, my brain is on a one way trip to Doctor Who land! But in an odd way this helped me grasp the basis of Red and Blue's story better, I suppose because I could then contextualise the characters and their relationship. It's by no means a perfect fit, but enough seemed to resonate that it helped. Again, there are so many unknowns about the characters for me.
I could see this making a beautiful one-off TV series, or even an anime series, as the visuals from the page scream to be brought to life. I definitely enjoyed reading it, but not quite as much as I'd hoped.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Suicide attempt, War, and Death
Minor: Animal death
clovetra's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
never have i had so many yet so little thoughts on a book.
the writing at times was incredible - the style had almost a lyrical and floaty feeling, which perfectly suited the setting(s) and the story of this book. however, sometimes it felt overly wordy for the sake of being wordy. the unnecessary use of overly complicated words to achieve this was frustrating at times, and i felt like i was straining to read this. i did at times enjoy the layers on layers of descriptions of something as simple as a seed, but other times i was exhausted
i will say i also don't.... buy the relationship between red & blue? like i feel like it came out of nowhere and it didn't get proper set up. like at one moment they're just chatting about annihilating each other and then like 30 pages later they're madly in love.
i also did not get the ending and many other thing! like i get what happened in an abstract sense, but if you asked me to give you a play-by-play of what happened in this book i don't think i could. sure i have grasped the general ideas but my god so much jargon was going on, most of the actual plot was lost on me.
i understand why this book is adored and twitter user bigdickolas, but for me.... idk it was good! i can admit that; im not blind. it was a beautiful book. it just felt like it was trying too hard to be artsy for me.
the writing at times was incredible - the style had almost a lyrical and floaty feeling, which perfectly suited the setting(s) and the story of this book. however, sometimes it felt overly wordy for the sake of being wordy. the unnecessary use of overly complicated words to achieve this was frustrating at times, and i felt like i was straining to read this. i did at times enjoy the layers on layers of descriptions of something as simple as a seed, but other times i was exhausted
i will say i also don't.... buy the relationship between red & blue? like i feel like it came out of nowhere and it didn't get proper set up. like at one moment they're just chatting about annihilating each other and then like 30 pages later they're madly in love.
i also did not get the ending and many other thing! like i get what happened in an abstract sense, but if you asked me to give you a play-by-play of what happened in this book i don't think i could. sure i have grasped the general ideas but my god so much jargon was going on, most of the actual plot was lost on me.
i understand why this book is adored and twitter user bigdickolas, but for me.... idk it was good! i can admit that; im not blind. it was a beautiful book. it just felt like it was trying too hard to be artsy for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, and Death
Minor: Colonisation and Fire/Fire injury
_natalie_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Suicide, War, Suicide attempt, and Death
Minor: Mental illness and Child death
riverestyx's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I devoured this book! In fact, I spent the last 20 pages pacing my kitchen! I don't know when I last did that! I also spent more time at the laundromat than I needed to because I was pulled so deep into this story. I went into reading this knowing only 'time traveling lesbians' and I'm so glad I went in knowing so little. I was hooked the entire time.
I can see why folks would struggle with this book because it's more prose than you'd expect from a novel and often sparse on details and world building. You have to just go with the details of the world as they come. If you're okay with those then i highly recommend!
I can see why folks would struggle with this book because it's more prose than you'd expect from a novel and often sparse on details and world building. You have to just go with the details of the world as they come. If you're okay with those then i highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, War, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Torture
tlindhorst's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
This book will reward re-reading, mulling over & reading outside reviews. It is complex, romantic, full of hope & despair all at the same time. Is the conclusion that we must break away from more collective identities correct ?
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Torture, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Blood, Confinement, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide attempt
trying_ceratops's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Wow oh wow did I love this. I didn’t understand what I was reading all the time (hence the .5 taken off) but the romance, the intrigue, the writing, the detail was all so beautiful.
I would recommend this to most people, but would avoid suggesting it to anyone who isn’t a fan of abstract stories. There’s lots of time travel and while that’s not the plot of the book, as many time traveling books tend to be, I would describe it as the setting of the book.
I felt very moved by this book and tabbed many lines that made my heart twist or sing. It’s just beautiful.
I would recommend this to most people, but would avoid suggesting it to anyone who isn’t a fan of abstract stories. There’s lots of time travel and while that’s not the plot of the book, as many time traveling books tend to be, I would describe it as the setting of the book.
I felt very moved by this book and tabbed many lines that made my heart twist or sing. It’s just beautiful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Murder, Violence, and War
Minor: Gore and Blood
grace33's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Torture, and Body horror
torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Dysphoria, Gore, Confinement, Animal death, Death, Genocide, Grief, Violence, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and War
violerwolf's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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? No
3.5
This book wasn’t for me. The prose can be so purposefully opaque that it renders parts of the book barely understandable. And while I’m sure that some people enjoy that, personally I think that no matter how cerebral a book is, you should be able to imagine what the characters are doing when the author describes simple actions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, War, Blood, Death, Murder, Genocide, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Animal death, Child death, Torture, and Grief