Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

How To Bite Your Neighbor & Win A Wager by D.N. Bryn

8 reviews

binevolentbookworm's review

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

2.5

i went into this book with no expectations and unfortunately, it didn't leave much of an impression on me. the premise was interesting, albeit underdeveloped, and i felt that despite this not being labeled a YA book, it felt very juvenile both in writing style and how the characters behaved. somehow i felt like i was reading fanfiction of a fandom i am not privvy to, or maybe someone's bedtime fantasies of vampires.  also there was a huge focus on gaming as a shared past time with pretty much... everyone? in the book, which i am just not the audience for. maybe if you read this and are also a gamer, it'll be relatable, but to me it felt like a barrier to a wider reaching audience.
 
finally, let me just say this: no one should be writing anything even remotely spicy if one of the chosen words for a dick is "tingly pingly" which was used multiple times, mostly in jest, but also talk about major ick. 

and one teensy little spoilerish thing, the closest these characters got to an actual spicy time happened WHILE being hunted - i'm sorry, you’ve lost me. it just didn't feel necessary for the plot! which is why i will reiterate, this felt like the author's bedtime fantasy.

 
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mrshays's review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad 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

5.0

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booksandstardust's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-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

4.0

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melonmachinery's review against another edition

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

2.0

At first the story is fun, very reminiscent of things you'd find on Quizilla and Wattpad (for the younger generation) in an endearing way, but once the middle school nostalgia wears off mid to 3/4 of the way through the story is rushed, flat, uncomfortable in its dealings with both real and fantasy racism, and the resolution is just sloppy.

The characters are all 1 dimensional. Wesley is Mexican American and you can tell because he says Sí-Yes when he's rushed. Vincent's line about not wanting to exist if it harms others fell flat in its delivery and how it changed Wes's opinions instantly. The real world internet references and usage is so incessant, the characters must have gotten their education at Tumblr University. The romance is rushed, which I did expect since most romance novels do, loving the "insta-love" plotline. The entire moment on top of the mausoleum roof was embarassing. You just wanted to shake the characters and ask why they suddenly are so relaxed about being chased by bad guys they can get each other hard in the cemetary. Wes's vampire kink tended to be embarrassing at best and uncomfortable at worst given the in world context of vampires and what he specifically wanted to do. Vincent is supposed to be sexy and predatory in these moments but most of them made me laugh.

The whole thing with the pharmaceutical company and dead mom was trying to take on something large but failing to deliver, which is also how the story ended for Wes and Vincent. I didn't particular care for Wes's struggles about the revelation of his mom's death since he seemed very blasé himself about selling all her items and changing things once it was confirmed. Their choice to leave the company be and take care of themselves because they wouldn't get support since the government doesn't see vampires as people with rights in particular was discomforting in ways hard to describe.

I could go on. It was an easy read, but not in a good way. Wouldn't recommend this to anyone but wouldn't actively stop people from reading it. Hopefully the author will grow in time. 
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jupiterlee's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious 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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massivegreen's review against another edition

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funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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aplatt's review against another edition

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

2.5

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things100's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

A great read, very enjoyable not as much spice as I’m used to but still a little bit and the plot is amazing can’t wait to read the next book in the series. 
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