Reviews with content warning for Violence - A Dark and Hollow Star

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth

32 reviews

bookishmel's review

DNF at 35% This was literally just like an info dump of everything related to the fae and typical fantasy books we know and love. The setting of being in North America in a modern day setting was also very startling and not done well. An example of this same thing that was also startling was Crescent City but with it being set in a different world and the writing just made it easier to digest. I also was not a fan of the constant pop culture/media references that would be dropped unnecessarily, it took me out of the story and I like my fantasy books to be immersive. It was just not for me.

Content Warnings

rebekah_t's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

kellan_writes's review

Go to review page

adventurous funny 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

From the minute the prologue introduces us to Nausicaa to the ending Epilogue, I was hooked. The characters brought me in and the story had me guessing all the way through. Who is responsible for the gruesome deaths of the Ironborn children, and why are the adults not doing anything about it? It is up to for queer teens to solve the mystery, which is only the beginning.

This is a book I wish I had when I was growing up, surrounded by those who told me I was wrong for being anything other than cishet. That the four POV characters in the novel are all queer and that many side characters are as well, it made the story all the better.

This is not a perfect book, but for a first novel? It was amazing and I'm so glad I finally read it. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. A definite recommended read of the year, and probably one of my favorite books so far.

Content Warnings

thenovelmaura's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

2.5

This was another #ViolentQueensBookClub pick and I had high hopes because of the LGBTQIA+ rep! I do think this would have been an enjoyable read if it wasn't so dang long. I was slogging through the 500 pages, most of which seemed to be Nausicaä giving long, unrealistic speeches that were supposed to be witty but got old after awhile. Neither of the romantic pairings were very compelling and all of the pining was too much.

I did like the final third of the book, when the plot started coming together and the pacing picked up. And the urban-fantasy Toronto setting was so cool and unique! The political drama between the different fae courts was fascinating, as were all of the magical and mythical creatures who showed up in the hidden pockets of the city. There were some great elements here and I wish they had been combined into something spectacular, but as it stands I'm not inclined to read the sequel.

Content Warnings

lolajh's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

There’s a loooooot of hit or misses in this book. The plot, the characters, the world, the ideas of them are good, I just don’t know if I’m fully satisfied with the result.

First, the world. It is quite a bit hard to keep up with the worldbuilding. I have absolutely no idea what the difference between fae and faerie is, the different factions like Spring and Summer etc., Unseelie and Seelie, lesidhe and sidhe, like I could not keep up with it and maybe probably that is a me issue but it’s fine!

Then the characters! Arlo’s Percy Jackson insecurity variance gets a bit annoying, like we know she’s insecure and is obviously going to

end up super powerful

(that’s very predictable, and predictability is a huge thing in this book); Vehan and Aurelian have like no personality and suffer severely from the miscommunication trope; Nausicaä is lesbian and awesome I wish the whole book was Nausicaä,

though her and Arlo’s romance was incredibly underwhelming. Like I get it’s a slow burn but I really felt like nothing was there

;

Hero’s chapters are annoying, him being a villain didn’t mean much to me reading it since he was practically a villain from the beginning so there’s nothing to really go off from there, okay if his chapters weren’t in there we could’ve got the kids figuring out the mystery the same time as the audience (I hate reading stuff they’re just finding out about that I’ve already been informed of in other chapters)

And Vehan’s mum being the head of it all too and being on and off romantically with Lethe was kind of cool and slightly unexpected, but again, I am not attached to her character at all so it didn’t really mean anything to me

Also OH MY GOD STOP WITH THE HARRY POTTER REFERENCES. Having trans people (they are so on the side so don’t hope for that), a book written by a trans author, and having Harry Potter references is so contradictory oh my god. Don’t know if I’m motivated enough with this story to keep up the series.

Content Warnings

marleywrites's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging mysterious 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

4.5

Nobody asked me to do this but here’s a list of the main characters and the songs from Taylor Swift’s Midnights album that remind me of them:

Nausicaä - Anti-hero

Arlo - Snow on the beach (ft. Lana del Rey)

Aurelian - You’re On Your Own, Kid

Vehan - Maroon

Now onto the review:

After finishing A Dark and Hollow Star, I immediately ordered the next in the series, A Cruel and Fated Light. My favorite things about this book were A) the character development and B) the world building. Both were teased out so precisely and delicately and I found myself completely enjoying just vibing out with the characters as they had their little moments with each other (I’m partial to Nausicaä’s banter with Arlo). It felt like each moment held significant weight that added to the story.

The world building is slow paced, and the four main characters don’t meet until over halfway through the book, but it just makes sense as you read through it. So to the reviews saying they DNF, etc, they really missed a beautifully written story with lots of humor and quirky character moments. I really enjoyed this about the book, so for me it definitely worked. If you’re looking for a high intensity, action packed book, this isn’t the book for you. There are little pockets of those things throughout the story but overall I did find the pacing slow, yet enjoyable.

Some tropes/things this book features:

-slow burn f/f romance beginnings

-m/m friends to ??? enemies but wanna be lovers???

-lots of laughs

-sarcasm

-grumpy/sunshine

-kick ass fight scenes

-great descriptions of internal thoughts

-excellent setting descriptions

I rated this a 4.5 out of 5. The .5 that was missing for me was that I wanted to see more in the m/m relationship teased out in book 1, so I have high expectations for book 2!!

Content Warnings

noellelovesbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Content Warnings: Grief, violence, depression, disownment, murder, ableism, suicide [off-page], racism, body horror, child neglect and abandonment, death, human trafficking, blood/gore, and drug use.

This book has been on my radar for a bit, and as book two was recently released I knew it was time to dive in. Right off the bat, I knew Shuttleworth was an author who cared about their readers. At the very front under “Author’s Notes,” they discuss the heavy topics that will be covered in the book along with content warnings.

I’m always so excited when an author ensured content warnings are listed within their book or on their website. As someone who’s used reading as an escape for years [woohoo childhood trauma 😅], it’s important that I avoid certain subjects or at least have ample warning to prepare myself, emotionally, ahead of reading. Any author, or publisher, that puts that little bit of effort to list potential content warnings will always have a special place in my heart.

Nausicaa, formerly known as Alecto, is a fallen fury. Taking vengeance into her own hands and exacted revenge on those responsible for hurting her dearest sister so badly that her sister ended her own life, she had no regrets. Nausicaa now spends her immortal life finding new ways to annoy and anger the Fae.

Arlo the daughter of a Fae mother and a human father is determined to find her place in the world. Never fully fitting in with the Fae, as so far she’s shown very little ability in magic, she’s struggled to find where her strength lies and where her future will take her.

Vehan, the prince of Seelie Summer, has had questions for the last few years so when things start happening he’s set on finally finding answers and solving the mystery that’s haunted him.

Aurelian, Vehan’s retainer and steward in training, is determined to protect the prince at all costs…even if that cost is creating distance between the two. Hiding a huge secret is hard but Aurelian will do whatever it takes to protect the prince physically, mentally, and emotionally.

We also get to see the inner thoughts of someone who despises the ruling Fae and is set on a path to destroy them… but I don’t feel like writing about them. 😋

I enjoyed seeing pieces fall into place and forces joined though we definitely don’t get every question answered in this book. Shuttleworth has set up quite a few questions that I’m thinking will be elaborated on and answered within book two. I didn’t quite get the found family trope I was hoping to get within this book, as all four characters I talked about aren’t super close yet, but I’m hoping that we’ll see friendships and relationships continue to grow in book two which will give that overall found family feeling.

Overall getting to know all the characters, except the one I refuse to write about 😤, was so much fun and I look forward to seeing where book two takes us. If you’re looking for a fantasy where most of the characters are still finding themselves and finding their inner strength, I recommend giving this book a go!

Content Warnings