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theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
5.0
Thank you to the author, Brittany M. Willows, for providing a digital copy of Bloody Spade for review.
"Bravery is the absence of fear in the face of danger. Courage is about facing danger in spite of the fear.
It's time to be perfectly honest: I have never found a self-published book that I actually enjoyed. Often, they're challenging to read because of the excessive world-building or over-explanation of minute details. That being said, The Bloody Spade blew me away!
I was hooked from the get-go, with the almost Aladdin-like vibes of the opening chapters. I wanted to know more about the morally grey Iori and the incredible magic system (revolving around ink monsters and a deck of cards) that was introduced right away. There wasn't a super slow world-building montage that lasted for most of the book. Nope. This book jumped right into the good stuff!
Ellen didn't fascinate me at first, though I did find her to be quite sweet - if not a bit naive. It took very little time for my indecisiveness about her character to vanish. She's precious and worth protecting at all costs. I appreciated her willingness to see the good in people who maybe didn't deserve it. Without her, the story would've lacked the sugar it needed to combat all the intense action and adventure.
There were a few moments that felt really predictable for me. The story was definitely not lacking in foreshadowing, but I didn't mind. It didn't take away from the thrill. And there were definitely plenty of thrilling moments. I found myself holding my breath during some intense scenes and urging the characters to make certain choices during others. It's not a particularly short book, but it will hold your attention from the beginning to the cliffhanger end.
I appreciated several additions: trigger/content warning page at the beginning of the book, a doctor requesting consent from a patient before touching them, and LGBTQIA+ representation (pansexual and asexual MCs, as well as several demisexual, bisexual, and even aromantic characters).
I'm anxiously anticipating the sequel to this book. I really can't wait to see what happens next to our incredible cast of characters and this unique world!
"Bravery is the absence of fear in the face of danger. Courage is about facing danger in spite of the fear.
It's time to be perfectly honest: I have never found a self-published book that I actually enjoyed. Often, they're challenging to read because of the excessive world-building or over-explanation of minute details. That being said, The Bloody Spade blew me away!
I was hooked from the get-go, with the almost Aladdin-like vibes of the opening chapters. I wanted to know more about the morally grey Iori and the incredible magic system (revolving around ink monsters and a deck of cards) that was introduced right away. There wasn't a super slow world-building montage that lasted for most of the book. Nope. This book jumped right into the good stuff!
Ellen didn't fascinate me at first, though I did find her to be quite sweet - if not a bit naive. It took very little time for my indecisiveness about her character to vanish. She's precious and worth protecting at all costs. I appreciated her willingness to see the good in people who maybe didn't deserve it. Without her, the story would've lacked the sugar it needed to combat all the intense action and adventure.
There were a few moments that felt really predictable for me. The story was definitely not lacking in foreshadowing, but I didn't mind. It didn't take away from the thrill. And there were definitely plenty of thrilling moments. I found myself holding my breath during some intense scenes and urging the characters to make certain choices during others. It's not a particularly short book, but it will hold your attention from the beginning to the cliffhanger end.
I appreciated several additions: trigger/content warning page at the beginning of the book, a doctor requesting consent from a patient before touching them, and LGBTQIA+ representation (pansexual and asexual MCs, as well as several demisexual, bisexual, and even aromantic characters).
I'm anxiously anticipating the sequel to this book. I really can't wait to see what happens next to our incredible cast of characters and this unique world!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, and Vomit
brittanymwillows's review against another edition
5.0
EDIT: I went back and forth on this for a long time, but y'know what? I am going to give my own book a star rating because I am HECKIN' proud of it.
Hiya, author here to say some mushy things and further pitch her book to you!
BLOODY SPADE is the YA urban fantasy of my heart that began life in 2009 as an idea for a manga. It was shelved in 2011 when I switched gears to work on THE CALYPSIS PROJECT, but now —a decade later—I am excited to say that BLOODY SPADE will soon be released into the world in the form of a novel!
If you like the sound of:
* Ink monsters born from human malice
* A balanced diet of peril/angst and fluff
* Magical dimensions and magical transformations
* Characters with animal features
* Playing card motifs
* Casual LGBTQ+ rep (including but not limited to: pansexual male lead, asexual female lead, aromantic/bisexual and demisexual/demiromantic deuteragonists)
And enjoy tropes such as:
* Found family
* Slow burn
* Hurt/comfort
* Mutual/oblivious pining
* Enemies to friends
* Idiots to lovers
. . . then this could be the book for you!
While the projected release date is a ways off yet, you can still learn about the story, characters, and the world they live in through my art and occasional book snippets. I share a lot of these on Instagram and Twitter, and will occasionally be sharing them on Facebook as well. You can find my various social media profiles in my link tree below (which also includes a link to my blog and Wattpad, where you can read a four-chapter preview of the novel)!
linktr.ee/brittanymwillows
Hiya, author here to say some mushy things and further pitch her book to you!
BLOODY SPADE is the YA urban fantasy of my heart that began life in 2009 as an idea for a manga. It was shelved in 2011 when I switched gears to work on THE CALYPSIS PROJECT, but now —a decade later—I am excited to say that BLOODY SPADE will soon be released into the world in the form of a novel!
If you like the sound of:
* Ink monsters born from human malice
* A balanced diet of peril/angst and fluff
* Magical dimensions and magical transformations
* Characters with animal features
* Playing card motifs
* Casual LGBTQ+ rep (including but not limited to: pansexual male lead, asexual female lead, aromantic/bisexual and demisexual/demiromantic deuteragonists)
And enjoy tropes such as:
* Found family
* Slow burn
* Hurt/comfort
* Mutual/oblivious pining
* Enemies to friends
* Idiots to lovers
. . . then this could be the book for you!
While the projected release date is a ways off yet, you can still learn about the story, characters, and the world they live in through my art and occasional book snippets. I share a lot of these on Instagram and Twitter, and will occasionally be sharing them on Facebook as well. You can find my various social media profiles in my link tree below (which also includes a link to my blog and Wattpad, where you can read a four-chapter preview of the novel)!
linktr.ee/brittanymwillows
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