Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Gleam by Raven Kennedy

42 reviews

_charliesbookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cursing, Death, Infertility, Physical abuse, Torture, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you, Michael Joseph Penguin Publishing, for sending this book in exchange for an honest review. 

This book is still based on Auren. King Midas made her the woman she is today. The thing about being confined is that she believes it’s to keep the bad out, until Auren realizes it’s keeping her in. She is in a strange kingdom surrounded by liars, with no allies but she is refusing to sit idly by and let herself wither. There is something that is lingering from the pit of her repression. Something dark and something angry. But the last thing she expected was for her anger to call out to him – King Ravinger. He is sinister and powerful and a bit seductive. She has learned her lesson trusting manipulative kings, so why does Auren’s chest constrict every time he is near? She needs to tread carefully, or she is at risk of losing more than just her freedom. Regret and revenge war inside of Auren and she needs to figure out a plan fast before she gets tangled up in the schemes of kings and queens. Auren is refusing to go back into a cage again. No, this time, she will be setting the trap. Auren is hoping her heart comes out unscathed. 

I loved this book, there wasn’t a lot of plot or storyline, but the character development had me in a choke, as this book went on, I went from feeling sorry for Auren and hoping she would be safe, to hoping she would kick some King’s ass. I loved her character development and I hope she learns to live with her power. I loved the banter between her and Slade and how they went from being disappointed in each other and ashamed to fighting for each other and literally threatening each other. I loved how Slade knew she had hit her limit and knew she was going to lash out. I’m really glad that Auren was the one to kill Rip and that he literally melted him away, he deserves the worst for what he did to Auren and Digby. I wanted to throw the book across the room in the last 20% I was on the verge of tears with what Rip did to Auren. I’m really glad he won’t be in the next book, because I was getting sick of him. I loved that we got to found out who Fake Rot was and I want to know more about him please.  

This book managed to slowly suck me into this world and series, I struggled with the first book, enjoyed the second one and screamed and cried at this book. I cannot wait for the fourth book in this series.  

First five star of 2023 and I didn’t expect it to be this book but I'm glad it is. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Pregnancy

katvou's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Child death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

shaylaeliz's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Toxic relationship

Minor: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Violence, and Pregnancy

levesc17's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This has the most action and character development of all the books! All the trigger warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Confinement and Sexual violence

Minor: Pregnancy

xlaurareads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

screaming, crying, throwing up - this book was an absolute banger! i was anxious, i was sad, i was furious, happy, and completely torn apart. the character developmemt, the world-building, the plot twists - everything was amazing and thought through in greatest detail. the twist at the end of the book regarding midas? i wasn't expecting that and i was shocked to the bones. and the ending?

he deserved how auren ended him. every bit of it and more. i hate that bastard with all my heart.

the epilogue wasn't that much needed in my opinion although i greatly appreciate slade's perspective. and what i didn't like too much was the dirty talk. i mean, it was amazing..if it wasn't for the time this book is set in, that just didn't fit too well for me and disturbed my reading experience a teeny weeny bit. however, the book was so exceptional that i cannot for the life of me deduct points for this minor issue. this really might be new favorite series (and that means a lot after acotar had my heart for years). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

hannibanani29's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Infertility, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

januaryt123's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy

macykey's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

There’s still some pacing issues in this book, but it was still so good! I want as much Slade as I can get!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

campisforever's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Listen, as part of the series the book is good. And the people who are upset about the perspective of the first sex scene are wrong—it’s great. 

There is, however, absolutely no reason this book should be almost 700 pages long. This one is slower than the other two, it drags, it repeats itself, and it includes points of view that aren’t necessary. Especially the last 70-100 pages, and the last two chapters (which are the same scene, word for word, from two different characters perspectives) are so slow and repetitive. I’m not into the “give me the same scene from this perspective now” because I think it’s lazy writing, honestly, so if I’d known I would have only read one of those chapters instead of both, because there was nothing additive about the second one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Trafficking and Pregnancy