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challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Death of parent, Alcohol
dark
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Blood, Gaslighting
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wasn't sure at all what I was going to think of thins book. I was fully prepared even to have to plough my way through with much difficulty. Instead I found myself clinging in to these characters and being incredibly fascinated by the storytelling. The fact that this is written in second person from the main character's POV made for such an interesting start. It really grips you as a reader to be addressed directly before realising this 'you' is not directed at you, the reader.
I love character driven stories and this is no different. It was so incredibly interesting to see the hindsight retelling of a frankly abusive relationship in which the abuser is being spoken to and we see all the complexity and nitty gritty emotions that come from and with this kind of relationship.
Not just that, but also on the upside the complexity and beauty of relatively seccusful polyamorous relationship (which is what I picked up this book for actually). While yes, our unnamed 'you' was a monster inany ways, the polycule that is built along the way was done so well imo.
I am really really impressed with this book. I don't tend to give books 5 stars if they don't make me cry, but this one is truly an exception. This was an absolutely amazing read perfect for the spooky season BC vampires, and good for my queer heart that wants to see people create their own happiness and find their self worth. With lyrical writing that didn't get convoluted or boring. Loved every second of this.
I love character driven stories and this is no different. It was so incredibly interesting to see the hindsight retelling of a frankly abusive relationship in which the abuser is being spoken to and we see all the complexity and nitty gritty emotions that come from and with this kind of relationship.
Not just that, but also on the upside the complexity and beauty of relatively seccusful polyamorous relationship (which is what I picked up this book for actually). While yes, our unnamed 'you' was a monster inany ways, the polycule that is built along the way was done so well imo.
I am really really impressed with this book. I don't tend to give books 5 stars if they don't make me cry, but this one is truly an exception. This was an absolutely amazing read perfect for the spooky season BC vampires, and good for my queer heart that wants to see people create their own happiness and find their self worth. With lyrical writing that didn't get convoluted or boring. Loved every second of this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There are lots of things about this book that give it merit, but it just didn’t quite do it for me. The writing is beautiful and gripping, and the characters are all very interesting. I think my expectations didn’t align with the book itself as I thought this was more of a retelling than a “reimagining,” so it was hard to appreciate this story when it kept going against the original Dracula novel. The darkness of this book was found more within the toxic relationship with Dracula than with the nature of vampires; I thought this book would show more of the wives’ descent into evil. This take made them seem like immortal humans rather than devilish creatures of the night. I liked seeing the progression of the toxic relationship and how the “wives” came to see Dracula for who he really was. This gothic tale strays from the original novel and tells a very different kind of story. This is a polyamorous relationship also, which took me by surprise. Overall, I’m not sure how much I enjoyed the book as a whole, but I’ll be thinking about it for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness
Moderate: Gore, Violence
Minor: Death of parent, War
dark
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, War
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was, like, fine. The main character is kind of a Mary Sue and the characterization is horrifically inconsistent throughout the entire book. I understand it's about the nuances of abusive relationships, but it wasn't very well done, in my opinion. Entertaining enough to read here and there, but nothing too impressive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse