Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Book of Night by Holly Black

138 reviews

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
mysterious tense slow-paced

Thrillers or mystery books stress me out but I still really liked this! I think it would be 5 stars if it wasn’t for all the anxiety this book gave me 😩 love Vince and f everyone else. Also was anyone else getting incest vibes with Adeline I mean she was about to get naked with her NEPHEW what the hell

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-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

❝ The universe belongs to the curious. ❞

*take a deep breath* I expected lots of fortes when I took the yields of this book just because I enjoyed Holly Black’s previous books. Plus, the concept of this book sounds promising, not going to lie. —Where shadows can work magic, but only for those who have the ability to awaken, or hasten, their shadows— But, since this book is about Holly Black’s first adult debut, I can tell the worldbuilding was a bit difficult to follow. I mean, some aspects sound pretty much disconnected. Not in the usual romantic sense, but rather in a darker, more gothic one, which is what I found more enjoyable, this book was also more romantic than I had anticipated. All things considered, a fantastic read with fantasy, romance, and mystery components.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book was really well written. I liked everything about it. It was dark, and mysterious. It had some plot twists that I didn’t expect and the ending was perfect! The characters were given backstories and stuff that really helped you feel a little something. Also the concept was very different, and not like anything I’d read before.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It’s a really interesting story, especially lore wise. The plot twist is exceptional. I just found the writing a bit clunky, it didn’t flow nicely for me. I also do have a hard time with moral bankrupt main characters, so if you also hate that I wouldn’t suggest. 

Low Fantasy, Romance Subplot, 1/2 🔥

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I'm not sure how I feel about this book to be totally honest.

Objectively well written and I truly never felt like I knew what was going to happen. However, I found the pacing quite off and having so many different directions and red herrings throughout it meant climax didn't hit as hard as I wanted it to.

I wish I could give it a 4 but it just wasn't really doing it for me.


****okay after a few days of sitting with it I have bumped it up. I found the plot and characters super interesting and the world building felt really fleshed out while also being pretty unique*****

Expand filter menu Content Warnings