Reviews with content warning for Violence - Butcher & Blackbird

Where do I even start with this book…?

I normally would have DNFed it, it was so bad. But it’s viral right now and I was hoping perhaps it would improve, plus I knew I wanted to write a review so I needed to get the whole story.

This was the worst book I think I’ve ever read. In any category it falls under. Romance, horror, humor, whatever. It’s terribly written. The characters and narration are unrealistic and poorly fleshed out. The “horror” and gore are just there for shock value. The whole “We’re serial killers who kill serial killers” bit is just… so lame. It really could have been something, but it was SO lame. The romance was cheap and low effort was put into this supposed “slow burn” “enemies to lovers”.

I’m worried about the quality of modern books, and this is a prime example of why. This feels like it was quickly pumped out and overhyped, and people deserve better quality books quite frankly.

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hayleythompson's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.25

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oxfordcommas91's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? Yes

3.0

I think I must have watched too much Dexter and Criminal Minds as a teenager because I was honestly expecting the gore and violence to be far more intense than it was. Yes, they are serial killers. They kill people. There were a few scenes that are probably too much if you don’t have a strong stomach, but I didn’t find any parts overwhelmingly gross… except maybe the vanilla ice cream, that was a bit much.
I liked the concept here and it was an incredibly fast read that I found myself (embarrassingly) a bit hooked to. I liked the second half of the book a lot better than the first - understanding the motivations of both butcher and blackbird made me connect to their stories and actions and added a level of depth that wasn’t there at first for me.
The spice was…. Spicy. I’d give it at least 3-4 🌶️ which is a bit spicier than I typically enjoy. The spice had a BDSM/kink hint to it, which is also not my favorite genre of spice. It got a bit much for me and I found myself skimming parts of the spicy scenes because it felt a bit overdone.
At the end I was a bit like “okay what did I just read?” But no regrets and I enjoyed it enough that I will likely pick up the sequel, Leather and Lark, for when I need some more mindless fun.
(I appreciate this author's writing style and also appreciate her insistence on checking and listing the content warnings for her book. Please do so before reading, for sure!)

Content Warnings

tde_atc29's review against another edition

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dark funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely loved this book. The characters are lovable and you just want to see them be happy. It’s funny - like laugh out loud funny and emotional and such an awesome read. I was happy I looked past the trigger warnings and gave it a try.

If you can look past the trigger warnings I totally think you would love this book if you are into the dark twisty romances!

Happy reading!!!

Content Warnings

elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition

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dark lighthearted fast-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

4.0

This book is weird, to say the least; in fairness, a friend of mine recommended me and leant me her copy of this book after warning me multiple time to read the author’s warnings at the beginning of the book, so I had an idea of what was coming.

I started reading it as a romance and immediately stopped - I don’t have the stomach to read it quite that realistically. However, once I stopped taking it seriously, I found that I really enjoyed it. It kind of reads like a satire on morally grey characters and the world’s fixation on serial killers while also somehow portraying a MUCH healthier relationship than even some not-“dark” romance books (seeking consent, viewing each other as equal partners, etc.). The characters are also sympathetic enough to make them bearable. Their brutal actions have sort of good intentions (both are kind of like twisted contemporary Robin-Hood-style “superheroes” - put them in masks and tights and you have a pair of bloodthirsty Avengers).

Read with caution and don’t take it too seriously - it’s the unserious moments that make Butcher & Blackbird shine as a messed-up horror-comedy for romance-trope-loving readers venturing into the genre.

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brazilianbookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful tense 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

5.0

WOW!
I knew people were raving about this book,
but I put off reading it for so long because everyone said that I would not be able to stomach it.
Well 😅🤩 there might be something wrong with me 😅🤩
lol because not only did I stomach it just fine 😅😅😅
✨✨I relished every moment of this book.✨✨
The characters are perfect, ✨🤩
the story line is fast,✨🤩
not once did I get bored!✨🤩
I love Sloane she is one of my favorite FMC!✨🤩
Rowan is literally so hot and amazing and perfect,✨🤩
and the voice actor that does Rowan is to die for!✨🤩
Not to mention the spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️is next level amazing!

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maecar's review against another edition

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kellybesmonte's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

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