Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Durch das große Feuer by Alice Winn

135 reviews

xcampuskiddo's review against another edition

challenging 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

5.0

It's like a British Band of Brothers for World War I. Raw, compelling, unflinching, deeply researched, beautiful, and poignant. Does not feature either gaybaiting or queer trauma in the plot outside of the legal concerns/need to be discreet.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, War, Mental illness, Blood, Death, Gore, and Gun violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Classism, Xenophobia, and Bullying

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Confinement, and Medical content

Antisemitism is on the part of characters in the book who are not sympathetic; the author does not either explicitly or implicitly condone antisemitism. Xenophobia is related to one main character being German-British and facing suspicion by others, and to one character of color who faces implicit xenophobia.

fullofbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Grief, Death, Gore, Gun violence, War, Sexual content, and Violence

Minor: Suicide and Death of parent

nikkicik's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Gore, Classism, War, Murder, Death, Body horror, Blood, and Medical trauma

floatwiththesticks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? No

5.0

This book consumed me. I felt incomplete whenever I wasn’t reading, and was desperate to get back to it. I’m not sure I’ve ever read such an engrossing love story and I’m certain I’ve never read anything that put me on the front lines of a war. I really feel like I lived the trenches with them - and that is this author’s astounding talent.
If England is magic, so is this novel. 

I GRIEVED GAUNT ALONG WITH ELWOOD AND LITERALLY SCREAMED WHEN HE WAS ALIVE!!!!!! I almost threw my kindle across the room in happiness. They’re so gorgeous together, I swooned. Idiots in love, friends to lovers, SLOW BURN A03 tags.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Death, Gore, War, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content

meheehee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, Grief, War, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Body horror, and Gun violence

lexcellent's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Child death, Classism, Death, Gun violence, Violence, War, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Blood, and Body horror

alastair_james's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Gore

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

Quiet, beautiful and completely intoxicating. I was terrified it was going to break my heart but I couldn't put it down. 

This book is filled with bleak and unflinching depictions of war (which are all based on historical accounts) that utterly broke me. But with it there is such beauty in the characters and the way they protect and love each other. It even manages to be funny, throwing in some gallows humour that only adds to its appeal.

An incredible love story that has enormous emotional power, and one that will stay with me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Homophobia, and Death

rachel101's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Body horror, and Blood

Moderate: Gore, Bullying, Grief, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, and War

Minor: Classism, Grief, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Homophobia, Alcohol, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, Antisemitism, Bullying, and Death

basil_touche's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

I can't remember the last time I had to pause during a book in order to comprehend what I had just read. This novel doesn't hide the gruesome aspects of the war, it's shows it all in detail and even I found it difficult to stomach at times. Characters are introduced and dead within a few pages; some you get to know for huge chunks of the book until suddenly there's a part where you see their obituary or their remains. A lot of topics are covered in this (chivalric mindsets of britain to war pre ww1, queer love, colonalisation, duel identities, classim etc) that it feels like it really captures the period.

But this is also a story about love. Gaunt and Ellwood's relationship throughout is touching as you see them pinning for each other in their youth, to their optimism for the war being destroyed once they reach the trenches and then how they slowly start to pick up the pieces after. It's interesting to see how each of their traumas display differently, and surprising too.

I listened to the audiobook and Christian Coulson does a wonderful job throughout. He gives each character a distinct voice, along with pretty accurate accents. I think it truly adds something to the book. 

A haunting and beautiful debut for Winn.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Blood, Child death, Violence, Death, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Bullying, Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Suicide

Minor: Sexism, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Antisemitism, and Classism