Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Mad Honey by Jennifer Finney Boylan, Jodi Picoult

61 reviews

violetbentbackwards1036's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad slow-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: Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Misogyny, Transphobia, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Abortion, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Deadnaming, Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, and Violence

graysonbax's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Deadnaming, Blood, Transphobia, Death, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Physical abuse, Grief, Outing, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Abortion

allcavesin's review

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

I went into this blind after a recommendation from my boss. What an absolutely heart wrenching story. Olivia's journey out of abuse was hard to read, honestly, but I'm glad it was. It was real. I was rooting for Asher, and then I wasn't, and then I was again. I'm so glad we get to hear so much of Lily's story. Then the ending!!!!! I did not see it coming. The blend of both authors was seamless. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Transphobia

mkeil16's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

3.75

Honestly was not expecting this story. I think there was a lot of nuanced topics introduced — how to love someone even when there may be bad parts to them, the way framing affects how you see people and the world, the horrors of being a person. The twist, however, was a bit rough. To say that someone died of being a woman bc another woman was jealous is a bit,,,, well let me just say this book worked really hard and that twist felt like it undid some of the hard work the previous chapters set up. 

like a modern to kill a mockingbird -- the lines taught the reader more than they furthered the plot. Needed a white character for the reader to project themselves onto to be able to relate/undestand. Lily had no character development. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Blood, and Domestic abuse

kvrapcu's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Bullying, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Grief, Mental illness, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Abortion, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Self harm

meganhunt's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Outing

Minor: Deadnaming and Blood

amandas_bookshelf's review

emotional informative reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Grief, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Transphobia, Child death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Sexual content, Deadnaming, Outing, Bullying, and Hate crime

Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy

lidia7's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

read it in one sitting, cried a couple of times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Transphobia, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Child abuse, Grief, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Abortion, Cancer, Murder, Medical content, Death of parent, Blood, Alcohol, Animal death, Outing, Violence, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing

sophieamreacher's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-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

5.0

Check TWs. 

Amazing, powerful, thought provoking. I didn’t know where this was going until it was revealed, loved the characters and their development, and discussed important topics. I loved all the bee and honey facts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Alcoholism, Gore, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Violence, Child abuse, Murder, Outing, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail

jada_ann_12's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.25

I really enjoyed this book. As most of Jodi Picoult’s stories, I felt that it was very well thought out and told. Whenever a character would speak about a passion they had, they had all the facts. I felt like these characters were real and had real passions and traits. I kept thinking that there was no way Olivia isn’t real because of how thought out her passion for Bee’s was. Or Lily with how well versed she was in every fact she would bring to the table. Her character was so well rounded. I enjoyed the point of views, the intensity, the romance, the sorrow, and the characters themselves. I liked seeing Jordan again and being able to see him take on a personal matter. Olivia’s character was so deep and struggled with her battle between her heart and mind. Lily and Asher had my heart and I was absolutely heartbroken at the tragedy that happened. I wish I had his point of view too. I read this book whenever I could and was never bored. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait for another installment. 

Now here’s why the story is not a 5 star. 

starting off, i wanted to see more of an aftermath from Braden. I feel like we were left on a cliffhanger there with how he reacted and made Olivia pay for the court situation. Second, I sort of struggled with the way Lily’s POV’s were structured. Because they went from present to past, I had a hard time remembering a timeline. Maybe it’s because I’m not used to it and i still enjoyed the story itself, but I found myself forgetting small details or forgetting how small things played out. I think I would’ve been more immersed if the scene of Lily hearing the knocking happened and then it flew back to the past and proceeded forward. However, I do appreciate how the chapters would hint to something haunting of the past then the next time we’d get her POV we would learn about it like her haunting memories of the fencing match with Asher’s jealous side. The last reason why this book didn’t get a 5 star is because I felt a lacking with the plot twist at the end. Though it was crazy and I was stunned and freaking out, I felt like the tying it up part was loose. I didn’t like how Maya didn’t get in trouble, how we didn’t get to see more of a reaction from the characters because of all they went through. It felt clipped and unrealistic sort of which was out of place for a story that was so real and deep. I sort of saw it coming the whole time but that didn’t take away from my experience. I just wanted her to get some consequences. And I sort of wish we got that truth part from Lily, not Maya. I felt sort of robbed. <Spoiler>

Wither way, I really enjoyed this book and I’m excited for future novels!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Blood, Bullying, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Self harm, Violence, Death, Gore, Outing, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Grief, and Hate crime