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kelnicash's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Violence, Toxic relationship, Gore, and Blood
hayleythompson's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, and Cannibalism
cardenasjamiee's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, and Blood
oxfordcommas91's review against another edition
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!)
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
Graphic: Sexual content, Cannibalism, Murder, Confinement, Medical content, Stalking, Death, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Gun violence
Moderate: Abandonment
fashion37's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Death, Body horror, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Vomit, and Blood
tde_atc29's review against another edition
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!!!
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
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
deshanejt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
I found the storyline and plot very fun. Definitely unique and standouts from all the other dark-romance novels I've read!
I was hooked with the quirky and sarcastic banter and stayed for the all the rest!!
It seems like the author took notes from all the popular horror movies and found a way to weave them into her story... It was suspenseful and a little gruesome, but the tension and romance was top tier.
I was hooked with the quirky and sarcastic banter and stayed for the all the rest!!
It seems like the author took notes from all the popular horror movies and found a way to weave them into her story... It was suspenseful and a little gruesome, but the tension and romance was top tier.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Body horror, Vomit, Murder, Stalking, and Torture
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Confinement, Murder, Gore, Torture, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Body horror
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence and Child abuse
kellybesmonte's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Death, Child abuse, Torture, Stalking, Cursing, Sexual assault, Blood, Gore, Kidnapping, Rape, and Violence
stardust_heidi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Super duper fun! I thought the narrators did a great job, and I think it was a great intro to the duet style of audiobook narration. (Somehow my first???) I really enjoyed the good communication and directness and lack of drama between the two main characters (minus one moment, but that kind of made sense lol).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Death, Murder, Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Violence, and Gore