Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

45 reviews

mattiedancer's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

Writing: 4.5⭐️/5 
Lex Croucher did a good job with this novel. Not only did I feel – viscerally and fully – the emotions and internal conflicts of the character, but I also understood deeply the mood and tone of the novel with ease. I liked the ease of writing, which at moments did turn to beautiful prose. 

Characters: 4.5⭐️/5
I thought the characters were extremely fun to read about. Where some of the characters may have felt a little trope-y, I’m willing to forgive because they also felt real and raw and conflicted. I loved their struggles to come to terms with both their histories and their desires and how to move forward in a world that is unlikely to accept them. 

Plot: 3.5⭐️/5 
I think 90% of the plot is so well done. At the end of the novel, it takes a turn I wasn’t expecting and, though it made sense in the course of the book, it really moved it from a fun, romantasy read to a more serious fantasy plot. The sudden change was jarring, but overall the plot was still enjoyable. 

Who Should Read This Book? 
  • Fans of King Arthur retellings – with twists
  • Those looking for a light fantasy-esque novel with LGBTQIA+ vibes

Content Warnings? 
Death of parent, death, war, violence, homophobia, biphobia, outing, misogyny, sexism, gore, blood, classism, emotional abuse, gaslighting, injury, injury detail, excrement, vomit, physical abuse, 

Post-Reading Rating:  4⭐️/5
Cute, sweet, and a little jarring at the end.

Final Rating: 4⭐️/5
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bookish_cam27's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

4.75

I was giggling and kicking my feet throughout the entire book… except for the last 100 pages where my anxiety spiked, and my heart was torn out not long before it was placed back in my chest barely patched. God what a ride. This book is a masterpiece. I’d love to read it for the first time all over again.
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amanda_mh's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

This is everything I needed in a story! It’s all about love, friendship and unexpectedly a little bit of kingdom politics. The characters are so real and my heart goes out to the main six 🥰  the writing is heart warming, tear jerking, while also being laugh out loud funny in different moments. 
 
🥰 It’s a  story of a princess betrothed to a boy , but the boy likes her brother, and the princess likes the only lady knight in the kingdom. 🏳️‍🌈 🧡🩷 💚💙
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emily_housler's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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gidgetdraws's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to like this book more, I mean, fruity A Knights Tale? What wouldn’t be to love? But I’m realizing Lex Croucher might not be for me as an author. 

This is my second Lex Croucher book (the first being Infamous) and in both works I was disappointed by the lack of trigger warnings for more upsetting content that was in no way hinted at in the marketing of either book. I also liked the side characters way more than the main characters. I will say I liked this book more than Infamous, but I struggled to stay motivated to finish the book in a timely manner.

That being said, I wouldn’t dissuade anyone from reading this book as there were very cute moments and entertaining banter/shenanigans, however bare in mind the following trigger warnings: parental verbal/physical abuse, graphic depictions of violence/gore/war of a medieval type setting, blood,  and homophobia. 
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daryn's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

4.75

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melist6's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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? No

4.75

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nearbethexperience's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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

4.5

SUCH a fun read. It was a really smart choice on the author's part to set the book in a post-Arthurian world, to be able to play with it and not be burdened by the actual myth. If you don't like anachronistic dialogue this book is not for you, but I thought it was fun and the Riverdale reference made me actually laugh out loud! I did feel the HEA ending was a little bit unearned but that is just the tiniest critique, and hey it's YA. Overall this book was a balm for my inner Arthurian nerd child!
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flashandoutbreak's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.0

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vaguely_pink's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.0

**Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review eARC**

This was real cute. I'm not the biggest historical fiction reader, but this queer Arthurian reimagining with just the most delightful cast of characters had just enough magic and fantasy vibes to keep me hooked start to finish. The whole ensemble cast is wonderfully written. The banter? Amazing. I loved them all from the jump. Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a masterclass in how to write all the kinds of representation. (The scene where
Gwen sticks up for Bridget when her pelvic pain is dismissed by the royal physician
??? My heart is healed even if my uterus isn't.) While I agree with many of the reviews that the latter 30ish% is a major tone shift and a bit jarring, it didn't impact my enjoyment of this book, especially since I'm much more of a fantasy reader than a romcom reader. Highly recommend!
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