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Reviews tagging 'Blood'
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
59 reviews
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Vomit, War
I gave this book my best shot, I really did, but after putting it down for 10 days I have realized that I don't have the ~irresistible urge~ to pick it back up again.
I feel like this book does a lot of telling. Telling me what the characters said instead of having the dialogue; telling me that Osric is an evil person and Aurainne is a good person; telling me that seith is finite. However, at the same time it doesn't tell me enough. What makes Osric an evil person? Wouldn't a good person want to heal anyone who came her way because it was the right thing to do? Is the magical world secret? How am I supposed to know what costs a lot of seith, or how it is recovered, or how it is used? It seems like you just shove your seith at things and hope that solves the problem?
Another thing I struggled with was how obvious it was that this book used to be Harry Potter fanfiction. Don't get me wrong - that's not the problem in an of itself. The issue is that the deofols are an obvious substitute for patronus messages, and don't seem to have any other use. The waystones are an obvious substitution for apparition and don't seem to have any other cultural significance even though they're at social/cultural hubs. Aurainne is supposed to be based on Hermione Granger, but where is her compassion and empathy? Osric is supposed to be based on Draco Malfoy, but he feels like a caricature of an evil person instead of someone with specific goals and motivations that are being met through their actions, and who believes their actions to be for the good of someone, even if that someone is themself.
There also doesn't seem to be any direct conflict between the orders, but they hate each other? And people continue to purposefully chose to be in orders that are explicitly considered to be evil? I don't understand why. There is no clear character motivation, no clear world politics, and I feel like half of the world building is in the glossary at the beginning of the book. You shouldn't need to read a glossary to understand a 360 page romantic fantasy's world building - you have space to flesh out the book by another 3k-8k words instead if you need to. But also, separate from the glossary is info about the Orders and a pronunciation guide, both of which are lovely to have. Why have those at the end, when the glossary is at the front? Why not combine them all into the same place? I LOVE that the Order info and pronunciation guide were included at the bottom of the content notes, but you could also move the glossary to the back and add another page number to the content warnings. If people aren't understanding the magic system unless they read the glossary, that's a structural issue with the book that needs to be addressed.
Lastly, and this is very minor, why are some words capitalized for seemingly no reason? Is it to show sarcasm? Is it a title? Is it to show emphasis? I straight up don't know. But Aurainne is not only a "Phenomenon," but also the "Best" and I feel like we would still understand that she's exceptionally good at her job without being *told* so many times. Show us! The scene with her in the lab was an attempt at showing, and I enjoyed it for the most part. Aurainne does seem to only be characterized by her austerity and stickler-ness, but it was a start. Why is she like this? There doesn't seem to be any hint as to if anything happened to her that caused her to be such a no-nonsense person even around people she is supposed to have fellowship and camaraderie with. Is this just who she is? She doesn't seem to have any sense of humor at all, or a soft spot for any of her fellow Haeleans, or a love of her work. It feels like she does this because it is right, not because it is something she loves in any way. What does she love instead of her job? How come in over 1/3 of the book we haven't seen any other emotions in her? Same with Osric, though to a lesser degree because he obviously values his life more than anything, and is doing whatever it takes to keep it. What does he do other than kill people? Do the people in this world live by their jobs? That's pretty boring.
Anyway, while my above feedback might not seem to support this, I don't hate this book. I simply don't care enough about the plot or the characters to continue, which honestly might be worse.
Thank you to Berkley Romance for the ARC and the opportunity to leave an honest, voluntary review.
I feel like this book does a lot of telling. Telling me what the characters said instead of having the dialogue; telling me that Osric is an evil person and Aurainne is a good person; telling me that seith is finite. However, at the same time it doesn't tell me enough. What makes Osric an evil person? Wouldn't a good person want to heal anyone who came her way because it was the right thing to do? Is the magical world secret? How am I supposed to know what costs a lot of seith, or how it is recovered, or how it is used? It seems like you just shove your seith at things and hope that solves the problem?
Another thing I struggled with was how obvious it was that this book used to be Harry Potter fanfiction. Don't get me wrong - that's not the problem in an of itself. The issue is that the deofols are an obvious substitute for patronus messages, and don't seem to have any other use. The waystones are an obvious substitution for apparition and don't seem to have any other cultural significance even though they're at social/cultural hubs. Aurainne is supposed to be based on Hermione Granger, but where is her compassion and empathy? Osric is supposed to be based on Draco Malfoy, but he feels like a caricature of an evil person instead of someone with specific goals and motivations that are being met through their actions, and who believes their actions to be for the good of someone, even if that someone is themself.
There also doesn't seem to be any direct conflict between the orders, but they hate each other? And people continue to purposefully chose to be in orders that are explicitly considered to be evil? I don't understand why. There is no clear character motivation, no clear world politics, and I feel like half of the world building is in the glossary at the beginning of the book. You shouldn't need to read a glossary to understand a 360 page romantic fantasy's world building - you have space to flesh out the book by another 3k-8k words instead if you need to. But also, separate from the glossary is info about the Orders and a pronunciation guide, both of which are lovely to have. Why have those at the end, when the glossary is at the front? Why not combine them all into the same place? I LOVE that the Order info and pronunciation guide were included at the bottom of the content notes, but you could also move the glossary to the back and add another page number to the content warnings. If people aren't understanding the magic system unless they read the glossary, that's a structural issue with the book that needs to be addressed.
Lastly, and this is very minor, why are some words capitalized for seemingly no reason? Is it to show sarcasm? Is it a title? Is it to show emphasis? I straight up don't know. But Aurainne is not only a "Phenomenon," but also the "Best" and I feel like we would still understand that she's exceptionally good at her job without being *told* so many times. Show us! The scene with her in the lab was an attempt at showing, and I enjoyed it for the most part. Aurainne does seem to only be characterized by her austerity and stickler-ness, but it was a start. Why is she like this? There doesn't seem to be any hint as to if anything happened to her that caused her to be such a no-nonsense person even around people she is supposed to have fellowship and camaraderie with. Is this just who she is? She doesn't seem to have any sense of humor at all, or a soft spot for any of her fellow Haeleans, or a love of her work. It feels like she does this because it is right, not because it is something she loves in any way. What does she love instead of her job? How come in over 1/3 of the book we haven't seen any other emotions in her? Same with Osric, though to a lesser degree because he obviously values his life more than anything, and is doing whatever it takes to keep it. What does he do other than kill people? Do the people in this world live by their jobs? That's pretty boring.
Anyway, while my above feedback might not seem to support this, I don't hate this book. I simply don't care enough about the plot or the characters to continue, which honestly might be worse.
Thank you to Berkley Romance for the ARC and the opportunity to leave an honest, voluntary review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Aurienne is a healer sworn to “harm none” and Osric is an assassin dealing harm to anyone for the right price. They belong to opposite magical orders but have to work together when Osric needs help from the best healer, Aurienne, in order to save his life. As they journey across the realm they must work together not only to save Osric but to solve the riddle of the Pox ravaging hundreds of young children, which Aurienne and her Order tirelessly attempt to save.
I was really into this book for the first third. There is a lot of dark, sarcastic humour and tension between the FMC and MMC. I didn’t like how the author jumped into the story without world-building and instead started with a glossary, which is just lazy writing. Then the whole “slow burn romance” just made the whole book tedious as their quest and “slow burn” just dragged on and on and on. There were a lot of superfluous scenes and interactions that could have been cut and still made the story decent.
AND THEN WE GET THAT LAME ASS ENDING. Are you effing kidding me?? It’s like someone sent the hook on stage and slammed the curtain down mid-act. There’s no HEA or HFN. The book just ends. I’m just glad I got this as an ARC for free and didn’t pay for it.
I was really into this book for the first third. There is a lot of dark, sarcastic humour and tension between the FMC and MMC. I didn’t like how the author jumped into the story without world-building and instead started with a glossary, which is just lazy writing. Then the whole “slow burn romance” just made the whole book tedious as their quest and “slow burn” just dragged on and on and on. There were a lot of superfluous scenes and interactions that could have been cut and still made the story decent.
AND THEN WE GET THAT LAME ASS ENDING. Are you effing kidding me?? It’s like someone sent the hook on stage and slammed the curtain down mid-act. There’s no HEA or HFN. The book just ends. I’m just glad I got this as an ARC for free and didn’t pay for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
oh okay so its just going to end like that huh?
I don't even know how to put into words the experience that was this book.
It was that good.
My god.
Bi4Bi
dramione coded (obviously)
POC characters
and I'm counting the costs as disability rep. Even if its 'healed' the next day, its something that is constant and will always come back.
I don't even know how to put into words the experience that was this book.
It was that good.
My god.
Bi4Bi
dramione coded (obviously)
POC characters
and I'm counting the costs as disability rep. Even if its 'healed' the next day, its something that is constant and will always come back.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Kidnapping, War
A hilarious enemies to lovers romcom with a side of magical science and folklore.
This book was such a good time! A confident, no-nonsense healer, and a cocky, ever-optimistic assassin reluctantly team up for the most ridiculous quest - hunting for an impossible cure for a deadly magical nerve injury using nothing but folklore and "thin places" that may or may not actually work.
The whole thing is chaotic in the best way, packed with wit, snark, and banter that had me constantly grinning and laughing out loud. Aurienne’s cool, collected attitude is such a breath of fresh air, and Osric’s relentless charm makes him the most loveable murderous rogue I've ever had the pleasure of reading about.
The world was just as enjoyable, set in a magical-and-not-quite-modern-day version of the British Isles, with enough familiar names to get a sense of place without needing a map. I especially loved watching the characters wrestle with the clash between evidence-based, scientific magic and the wild unpredictability of folklore magic.
It's very slow burn, and so worth it - watching Aurienne and Osric go from squabbling and screaming insults at each other every chance they get to somewhat trusting (and maybe even needing) each other was utterly heartwarming, and exactly what I needed. I don't know how I'm going to survive waiting for book two!
This book was such a good time! A confident, no-nonsense healer, and a cocky, ever-optimistic assassin reluctantly team up for the most ridiculous quest - hunting for an impossible cure for a deadly magical nerve injury using nothing but folklore and "thin places" that may or may not actually work.
The whole thing is chaotic in the best way, packed with wit, snark, and banter that had me constantly grinning and laughing out loud. Aurienne’s cool, collected attitude is such a breath of fresh air, and Osric’s relentless charm makes him the most loveable murderous rogue I've ever had the pleasure of reading about.
The world was just as enjoyable, set in a magical-and-not-quite-modern-day version of the British Isles, with enough familiar names to get a sense of place without needing a map. I especially loved watching the characters wrestle with the clash between evidence-based, scientific magic and the wild unpredictability of folklore magic.
It's very slow burn, and so worth it - watching Aurienne and Osric go from squabbling and screaming insults at each other every chance they get to somewhat trusting (and maybe even needing) each other was utterly heartwarming, and exactly what I needed. I don't know how I'm going to survive waiting for book two!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Sexual content, Medical content
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent
funny
lighthearted
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
Before getting into the content of this book, a warning: it isn't a complete story. It's an alleged duology that is clearly actually one story cut in two - there are no resolved arcs in this book, it simply stops. Because of this, the pacing is very odd and there's no complete structure.
That said, it is also quite fun. The world-building is done with a light touch but makes for a satisfying setting, in a magical Britain (although the story focuses on England) which did not fall to the Norman Conquest. Magic users are mostly members of different orders, some focusing on doing good and others on killing for money. The titular enemies are a healer and an assassin, forced to work together when the assassin is struck with a seemingly incurable affliction. In return for healing he becomes involved in investigating the spread of a mysterious disease, being forced to spend more and more time with the healer as the intrigue ramps up. As the title makes clear, sexual tension starts to become a factor as they are compelled to get to know each other.
It turns out that this author is a well-known fanfiction author. Fanfic tropes - like everyone being bi/pansexual and continual snarky banter - are present, and although this is apparently not a reworking of an existing piece it does make sense that Knightley wrote a high profile Draco/Hermione story. However, this novel should appeal to a wider romantasy audience that isn't immersed in fandom. Some incongruously modern language does creep in but in a AU story with a vague timeline it's hard to be too strict.
I enjoyed it while i was reading it and would have given it a cheerful four stars if it had any kind of resolution. Unfortunately the non-finish and consequent structural failures lose a star for me. I came away from the book feeling somewhat cheated.
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
That said, it is also quite fun. The world-building is done with a light touch but makes for a satisfying setting, in a magical Britain (although the story focuses on England) which did not fall to the Norman Conquest. Magic users are mostly members of different orders, some focusing on doing good and others on killing for money. The titular enemies are a healer and an assassin, forced to work together when the assassin is struck with a seemingly incurable affliction. In return for healing he becomes involved in investigating the spread of a mysterious disease, being forced to spend more and more time with the healer as the intrigue ramps up. As the title makes clear, sexual tension starts to become a factor as they are compelled to get to know each other.
It turns out that this author is a well-known fanfiction author. Fanfic tropes - like everyone being bi/pansexual and continual snarky banter - are present, and although this is apparently not a reworking of an existing piece it does make sense that Knightley wrote a high profile Draco/Hermione story. However, this novel should appeal to a wider romantasy audience that isn't immersed in fandom. Some incongruously modern language does creep in but in a AU story with a vague timeline it's hard to be too strict.
I enjoyed it while i was reading it and would have given it a cheerful four stars if it had any kind of resolution. Unfortunately the non-finish and consequent structural failures lose a star for me. I came away from the book feeling somewhat cheated.
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Torture, Sexual harassment
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood
Minor: Sexual content
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Brigette and have since DMATMOOBIL but I could've done with 90% less crude body humor. Became repetitive and distracting. I'm still going to read the next one though as the ending had less of that and more plot movement that was really interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse