Reviews tagging 'Gore'

In The Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland

32 reviews

oliverreeds's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.75

honestky it was very predictable which isn’t bad if there’s a twist. if the characters are unique. if i can feel for them and if the plot doesn’t feel contrived. but in this book that wasn’t the case. the writing was good. the world building was okay. the characters were great but the plot was lacking in substance. the magic system didn’t have clear boundaries and laws, at times one person would die in a way and then the next person just wouldn’t? which was confusing. the plot twist didn’t feel like a twist bc it wasn’t hinted that it was possible so instead of emotional it felt silly. the end of the book as well didn’t quite track for me. our main character is brought through hell and back only for everything to just be okay? no mention of the lasting trauma. the fear. the emotional duress these people were under. it was like it never happened. i wanted to be SHOWN the family dynamic as well. i don’t want the narrator to tell me she has a family. i want to come up with that from watching them. anyways. i still enjoyed reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Grief, Rape, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Death, Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Murder, Misogyny, and Sexism

grimdark_dad's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Cannibalism, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Cursing, Gore, and Violence

abbyschalupa's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Sexual content

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, and Suicide

merenguita's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

3.75

It's a really good book but you have to take into acount it's limitations, because it's a stand-alone fantasy it doesn't have the time to fully develop all of the plot points, this also reflects in the love triangle, one of the sides being a lot more intreting in my opinion. 
Even though the world building has it's flaws it is generaly very enticing and it paints a really good picture of what's possible in this world. 
The set up of the conflict is a bit too fast for my taste when it comes to the conflict it self and it's resolution i think it gets a lot better with the pacing. 
In general there is some really good representation and that's very gratly appreciated

The ending was a little bit disappointing because of way too many fake-death scenes, it lost a little bit of it's impact

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Cursing, and Vomit

Moderate: Suicide, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Sexual content

andromeda_1998's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed the ravenous dark, it’s an amazing book! These are the reasons I loved it: 

Characters 
I really enjoyed the characters some of theme are precious little beans that should be protected others are plain evil. The writer navigates these extremes with ease and really shows off her talent of writing multidimensional characters. 

Plot 
The plot is a bit well predictable, and this sounds weird, in a good way. It’s a real fantasy with a girl finding out that she had magical powers and now she has to save the world but in a gothic kind of way. 

The plot is dark and before you decide to pick this book up you need to check the triggerwarnings. The writer doesn’t shy away from harsh subjects so be safe. 

Writingstyle 
This book is fast paced and I would consider it to be an easy read. It’s a book to finish in one setting and while I did precisely that. Did I finish it at around 2 in the morning? Yes… do I regret it? No…. Who needs sleep anyways? 

Recommendations 
Yes I would for sure recommend this book. I just don’t really know to whom. I think readers who are looking for a darker story with a pansexual polyamorous main character would really enjoy this one.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Violence

lettuce_read's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gore, and Murder

rorikae's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-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

4.5

'In the Ravenous Dark' is a deliciously dark story that celebrates queerness. 
It centers on Rovan, a bloodmage in the city of Thanopolis, who has been hiding her powers ever since her father was killed. When she discovers that her father's death wasn't quite what she thought and her powers are discovered, she is forced to come to the palace to be bound to a shade. As she learns more about the bloodmages and the world that surrounds her, all while also falling for a princess, she begins to question what is going on in the world and how she can free herself. 
A.M. Strickland creates a decadent world wrapped up with intriguing characters and a fascinating magic system. Their extravagant writing matches with the gaudy setting, all while creating a captivating story. Two of the things that stand out the most to me are the characters and the writing. Strickland's world comes to life under her lush prose that provides great detail in a world that is dripping with intricacies. Settled down into this world are characters, some that you love, some that you hate, and others that you may not like but still care deeply for. Rovan is a complex and flawed heroine but I never once stopped liking her, even when the story got especially dark. The queer love stories and the polyamory were perfectly matched to the world. 
The only hiccup is that there were some moments where the love stories felt like they moved a bit too quickly though this didn't bother me a great deal. Strickland has created such great characters and the bonds of friendship and family are so strong that things moving too quickly only barely caught my attention. This is such a great book though incredibly dark. I will definitely be picking up more of Strickland's writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Violence, Sexism, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Grief, Gore, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, and Suicide

annapharos's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore

meganlowe87's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

This was a different book for me. I don’t really do the gruesome, and this is that, in parts.
I do adore the diversity in this book, and the acceptance. It’s brilliant.
The story kind of plods along until roughly halfway through and then finishes in a rush.
I like Rovan in parts. I like Lydea in parts.
I really loved Japha and Ivilros.
This is an interesting book, but not for those who aren’t into dark and gruesome.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Gore, and Violence

mhs_197's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Sexual content

Minor: Body horror, Rape, and Suicide