Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites by Joy Demorra

9 reviews

steph_weigle's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Blood, Bullying, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Classism, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content

Minor: War, Infidelity, Colonisation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Alcoholism

bashsbooks's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

Hunger Pangs is marketed as a steamy and fun satire of paranormal romance, and I feel like it delivered well on that promise. The chemistry between Nathan and Vlad is a joy to read - and the chemistry with Ursula, too, though I wish there had been more wit her. Some of the political critiques were eye-rollingly heavy-handed, but they weren't wrong. Nathan's disabilities were handled really well, and I'd love to see more heartthrob werewolf doms with arm braces and hearing aids. The sexy scenes were also a lot of fun and very engaging. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

Moderate: Ableism, Blood, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

-If you aren't interested in sexual content, there is another edition of this book without it; it has a blue cover.

black_cat_iiix's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Classism, Medical content, Blood, Body horror, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Ableism

maybephasing's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, War, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

Minor: Racism, Ableism, Blood, Alcoholism, Biphobia, and Cursing

everentropy's review

emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

Minor: Ableism

cgn's review against another edition

4.5

This book was so delightful. It was just like a warm hug with a hint of intrigue (though mind the trigger warnings)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Medical content, Racism, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Toxic relationship, and War

Minor: Alcoholism

heyjaycee's review

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

3.75

Another hefty novel, I motored through Hunger Pangs just revelling in the sweetness of queer supernatural men falling in love with hardly a hiccup to their romance. I lost momentum three quarters of the way through, partly just my own reading slump, and partly because it was an uneventful period between the romantic climax and the end of the book. I picked it up again two months later and devoured the ending, hardly able to believe it was over.

Not only does Hunger Pangs give us a healthy queer m/m romance, it also delves deep into disability and chronic pain—dying from it, living with it, how society treats you when you have it. Since I follow Joy Demorra on Tumblr, I know this is her personal experience shining through. Her refusal to compromise on her disability representation in this novel—to water it down or shove it into a back seat for marketability—enriches the story and Nathan as a character, and I'm grateful for it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Blood, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Drug use

jade_newcastle's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

This is my go-to comfort book right now! The romance is charming and healthy, the disability representation makes me feel seen, and the worldbuilding is intriguing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Chronic illness, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, and Sexual content

Minor: Ableism, Biphobia, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Suicide, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Infertility

secretsparrow's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing 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

5.0

With art and humor, Demorra creates a rich, character-filled fantasy world modeled off Victorian Britian complete with aristocrat vampires, scottish-inspired werewolves, and veterans of a far-of war in a desert kingdom. Demorra uses this familiar backdrop to create a work of romantic satire and scathing social critique in a way that reminds me of Terry Pratchett's beloved Discworld. In fact, Demorra's book is perhaps best described as a blend of Pride and Prejudice, Guards! Guards!, and Dracula - which sounds like an impossible mix of genres for an author to pull off, but is one that Demorra has managed to great affect. From the first attention‐gripping prologue to the last joke, Hunger Pangs never relents in its humor, honestly, and heart, and is a delightful read from start to finish.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Xenophobia

Minor: Cursing and Police brutality