Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Thirteen Storeys by Jonathan Sims

51 reviews

slime_retro's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Drug use and Vomit

cattheteawitchfairy's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

Having encountered Jonny’s writing in The Magnus Archives, I was very excited to explore his book and now, a long time after publication (damn TBR being huge!) I am glad to have read (listened) to it!

A dark and gothic book with a slow plot; it takes a while for things to happen which is a little annoying, and has caused my rating to be lower, but it makes sense for you to be able to understand the plot.

As things went on, you could see links forming. The plot is written and formed in depth with things hinting to each other.

I found the ending satisfying although somewhat predictable. A metaphor for capitalism amongst other things, this novel can be seen as a horror story and social commentary.

Would recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder

gracecrandall's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Deadnaming, Racism, Transphobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Deportation

jan_coco_day's review

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

A few too many stories, some better intertwined than others. Very creepy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Blood, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse and Dementia

This book does NOT contain sex, sexualisation, or sexual violence.

subobscura's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

evelphysicist's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A tense and intriguing read. I really enjoyed the style of this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Deadnaming, Slavery, Cannibalism, and Medical trauma

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Grief, and Colonisation

artmajorese's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? No

4.0

If you enjoyed the Magnus Archives, you'll probably enjoy this. Jonathan Sims stays true to his brand of spookiness. He also sticks with his characteristic tendency to build slowly on a narrative through small episodic arcs.  

While I enjoyed it, it didn't quite hit 5 stars for me.  It felt both too fast and too slow. By the time I got familiar with a narrator, it changed to a different narrator in a different chapter.  By the last chapter, when all the threads were tied together, I had forgotten which character was which.  Things happened fast for each narrator, but the build of all information together was too slow for my taste, so that when we hit the big reveal it felt rushed rather than foreshadowed and earned.   

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Content Warnings

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

Minor: Genocide, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Colonisation, War, and Classism

songofthewolfy's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Excellent debut novel by Jonathan Sims! I loved The Magnus Archives, and thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I did feel that the end went a little fast for how much of a build-up there was to the climax. But I found it very enjoyable, and can't wait for more from him!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

Sims uses the listed content warnings to deliver a scathing critique of society. However, he does not shy away from depictions of mental illness, gore, and trauma. Please use discretion.

bigofheartdumbofass's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I like the way the horror was constructed, and there wasn't a single individual story I didn't like. My favorite was Cari's. The ending was a bit on the nose with the theming during the villain monologue but it doesn't take away from anything imo. I also really liked the epilogue. The only thing I actively don't like was the fact that Jonny Sims made three characters who all had relatively similar parts to play ALL have names that started with "D". It was so confusing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Cannibalism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Transphobia

Most of the gore is at the end and in Jason's story.

Death

is in Jason and Alvita's stories and the end.

dogearedbooks's review

adventurous dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury