Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski

21 reviews

jainabee's review

adventurous emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.75

I got this in the Banned Books Box subscription and was curious to read something totally new to me. Had a hard time putting it down and now am hungry for more! The story twists and turns in ways that startled me and I gave up trying to predict anything about the characters. How refreshing! And lovely writing. A pleasure to read and I'm so glad there's more!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Classism, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Drug use, Slavery, and Blood

Moderate: Police brutality, Child death, Grief, Kidnapping, Torture, Murder, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War

Considering all of the challenging content in the book, it is all handled in a way that I could tolerate (I am somewhat squeamish) and I did not feel personally triggered. I have no problem with putting a book down if the violence is too graphic or gory for my tastes or if the cruelty and abuse goes beyond a brief explicit detail.

veerau's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I'll admit, I thought this was going in a totally different direction up until the last half of the book (and I'm so glad it did).

Thought Nirrim would end up as a "lost princess finds love in lost princess" kinda trope, glad it didn't, and then Sid went "actually...🤓" SMH

I have a soft spot for characters like Sid, although I enjoyed her more in the first part. Maybe it's the mystery aura, idk.
Big shoutout to the sisterhood between Nirrim, Annin and Morah! Love how their bond doesn't get forgotten in favor of romance :)

at least up until the weird final pact that went on, not sure what that's about? But I hope we get to know more about that in the second book

Also I really wanted to say, that cover is so beautiful!! I love it so much <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Homophobia and Drug use

Minor: Child death, Blood, and Death

strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

3.0

The beginning wasn’t very interesting but then the middle got better. I was getting excited to read the second one until the very last line. That last line made me so very angry, however I still need to read the second book to see what happens with said last line. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Torture, Abandonment, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Death, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Lesbophobia, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content and Body horror

Minor: Child abuse

nicnevin's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

So this is the first book I've read from this author and its... Alright? I found the ending quite... Abrupt and the worldbuilding is a little slapdash however I realise that this is already set in a world from other books she wrote. 

Sid and Nirrim are a cute couple but I don't know how it ends. I guess leaving the book on such an abrupt ending ticked me off because it felt like a lot of build up for not much pay off bit I suppose that's why is more than one book. 

the magic blood reveal was pretty obvious so it annoyed me it took everyone so long to figure it out. Also shouldnt diluted blood be a yellowy orange colour? Maybe magic blood hits different idk

Don't get me wrong, the book is okay but just didn't gel with me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical content, Murder, Outing, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Ableism, Child death, Drug abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Drug use, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

sandy_21's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad fast-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

4.5

the ending suckssss

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse

Moderate: Murder, Abandonment, Homophobia, and Drug abuse

Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Sexual assault

alsoapples's review

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism and Blood

Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting

claudiamacpherson'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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Child death, Classism, and Gaslighting

Minor: Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Alcohol, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Police brutality, and Violence

softwindflower's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional slow-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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Child abuse

Minor: Homophobia and Child death

bonnienoire's review

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexual harassment, Classism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Homophobia

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content

orchidd's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

i had trouble with the beginning of the book because i am tired of reading narratives where the butch girl makes someone realize they like women, and i am also tired of reading narratives where the person is struggling with internalized homophobia as a plot point to pace the romance. i did really enjoy the middle with the descriptions of the magic and the parties and their blooming relationship, but the ending felt abrupt and incomplete. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use