Reviews tagging 'Gore'

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

34 reviews

delia_'s review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

i absolutely ADORED this book. like honestly. the descriptions were breathtaking and the love between the main characters blew me away. it deals with heavier handed topics like racism, class disparity, and religious discrimination, but the author does really well commenting on them. the ending is a little different than might be expected, but not in a bad way at all!! 

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT :)))

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia and Gore

edamamebean's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

4.75

Wow, wow, wow I really loved this book. I truly did not want it to end, and I will be reading all of Allison Saft’s other books. I honestly think this would make a perfect Studio Ghibli movie—it’s so atmospheric and the characters are lovable. The only reason I haven’t rated this book 5 stars is because it becomes kind of clear while reading that their world is analogous of our own. The religions are sloppily painted over versions of Protestantism, Judaism, and Catholicism and the result was kind of jarring to read. Not only was it confusing, but it was also a little frustrating that the mental labor was put on me as the reader to fall back on my own knowledge of world religions instead of on her as the author to create a world that was unique to the story. That being said, I understand what she was trying to say about anti-immigrant and antisemitism in America and I can appreciate it. It’s easy to forgive when the rest of this book was an absolute delight. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Religious bigotry, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Child death, Alcohol, and Abandonment

wilybooklover's review

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

4.0

 Note: I don't ordinarily read YA these days so please read this review with that in mind. 

The writing in this was absolutely gorgeous. So lyrical — poetic, almost — and atmospheric. I highly recommend reading this in autumn because it has perfect spooky, gothic vibes. Margaret and Wes's slow-burn romance was so romantic and tender and full of pining. They both felt like fully fleshed-out characters with realistic flaws and issues. I also enjoyed that they were both poor; usually fantasy romances will have at least one of the pair be royalty or aristocratic or blindingly rich, and that was refreshingly not the case here.

This is a very character-driven and introspective book, and while I loved that aspect, I do wish there had been a little bit more focus on the hala and the hunt. It's mostly squashed into the last 10% and it felt a bit anticlimactic and rushed given the build-up of the previous 90% of the book.

The worldbuilding was also a little bit shaky for me. It's very clearly based on 1920s New England with direct parallels in terms of religion, ethnicity, real-world events and tensions, etc. but then there are some more modern concepts and theories mentioned as well. I know it's fantasy but I think it was too close to the real world to work in terms of cohesion. I think it would have flowed better for me if the world had been a bit more distinctly its own thing or if there were a few more magical/fantastical elements outside of the alchemy and the hala. 

Overall, though, this was a lovely heartfelt fantasy romance with some deftly explored themes of loneliness, persecution, trauma, and religion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Blood, Bullying, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal death

Moderate: Ableism, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Classism, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Grief

Minor: Child death and Death of parent

ssmijuat's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Religious bigotry and Gore

bellebeaumont95's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry and Xenophobia

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Gore

pagewanderer_'s review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Hate crime, Animal death, Gore, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse

fairyreader75's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Moderate: Gore, Racism, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry

owl_eerie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad 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? Yes

4.0

I'm unsure about this book. I found the characters to be engaging and the storyline both interesting and well-paced. Wes was incredibly frustrating to read at some points, but that made his growth rewarding. Maggie growing past her trauma was well done.

I'm not sure I jive with the author's writing style (a simile or 3 in every paragraph...) but her character work was good. My only real complaint was the lack of grounding in the setting--It was very obviously Jewish/Protestant/Irish Catholic religious strife planted in a post WW1 America, shifted out of plane. Would have enjoyed it to take a firmer step further from known history instead of just... changing names but keeping things like microphones.

Listen to the audiobook; I kind of liked Wes's bad NY/Boston accent.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Animal death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Antisemitism, and Bullying

Moderate: Grief, Xenophobia, and Gore

Minor: Hate crime

annasneddon's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Antisemitism, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Cursing, and Emotional abuse

akemi_sato's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Gore, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Bullying

Minor: Child death