Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

151 reviews

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!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Abandonment

caitlinemccann's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted sad 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

4.0

I didn't expect to be giggling and crying over a serial killer romance, but this was a delightful, easy read despite it's dark and gritty content. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Medical content, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Gaslighting

novelnourishmentofficial's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.5

Good grief!! 4.5 freaking stars!!
Accidental Cannibalism you say??

I am absolutely certain that this audiobook has completely spoiled me for any others. I definitely have to give credit to the Narrators of this audio book, Joe Arden and Lucy Rivers. So beautifully done.

Never did I anticipate becoming so captivated and thrilled by this book.  The story revolves around Sloane and Rowan, two notorious serial killers who organize an annual murder competition. They meet every year to select and kill their chosen victim. The premise intrigued me so much that I couldn't imagine it being anything less than incredible. And I was right—it exceeded all my expectations.

"You'll love me someday~"

Sloane, known as the orb weaver or 'Blackbird,' unexpectedly finds herself locked in a cage, where she crosses paths with the charming yet dangerous Irishman, Rowan, also known as 'Butcher.' Rowan frees her and proposes a game that intrigues her, much like the man who sets the rules. Their attraction is intense, primal, and barely restrained. Together, they embark on a game of hunting targeted victims, focusing on the most dangerous monsters hiding in human guise.

But Will they be each other’s downfall, or are they simply a match made in hell, destined to carve out their own uniquely bloody, wildly eccentric, and strangely satisfying happily ever after?

“He’s Rowan,” Sloane says, gesturing at me again. Rose narrows her eyes as though this is insufficient information. “He’s my f-fr…boy. Guy. A man-guy. I’m…with. Here.”  I snort a laugh as Rose’s face scrunches. “Man-guy,” I echo. “Real smooth, Blackbird.”

One thing keeping me from a 5 star is that I found Sloane's voice didn't quite align with her character, despite Lucy Rivers having a beautifully rich voice. Lucy exudes a bubbly and soft-spoken demeanor at times, whereas Sloane's character feels more brash and rough around the edges. This mismatch in vocal portrayal occasionally pulled me out of the story, as I expected Sloane's voice to reflect her gritty and assertive personality more closely."

For a more in depth review, visit my blog https://novelnourishmentofficial.blogspot.com/

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

you_fanci_me_mad's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious fast-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

I haven’t had this much fun reading a book in a long time. The banter was the best I’ve ever read. I was smiling at my kindle like an imbecile every few lines. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Murder

I found everything in the content warnings done in a lighthearted way so nothing in this book bothered me. But definitely check the content warnings because they’re first of all funny to read but also kinda intense

laurenexploresbooks's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

3.75

This work has charming banter, steamy scenes, and a HEA. I think the relishing of murder and violence even against serial killers with details just personally was unappealing to me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

evren219's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Vomit, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

two serial killers fall in love and become a serial killing team. They only kill other serial killers/bad people.

amandaajane's review against another edition

funny medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

joannedrake's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny tense 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

3.75

What did I just read, and why did I like it? I used to read a lot of crime fiction, so the gore (plenty) didn’t push me away. I think I would have liked something a little deeper? But it’s not a serial killer psychological novel, it’s a romance. 

Sloane needed more fleshing out, more back story, which is alluded to but not fully explained. It’s one thing to avenge wrongs, another to cross the line to where she is making art work with people’s bodies. And I want to know how the guy at the end pulled it off, that seemed under explained. 

Still, fast paced, readable, a few lol moments, and a ton of very intense sex. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Just go in knowing it’s pretty gory.

nobosmomma's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

phi222's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.25

Well written gory horror smut. However I couldn't get past the poor medical treatment of a dislocated shoulder. Don't know what that says about me but I really kept wondering if that shoulder was okay. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Sexual violence, and Stalking