Reviews with content warning for Blood - Deathless

I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this book and I still don't know what to think about it now that I have finished it.

It was a complicated book to read mostly because I didn't know anything about russian mythology. It was still very interesting to read and though I didn't always enjoy it understand it I am definitely glad I read it and pushed through the difficult parts. I'm still not quite sure what to think but it definitely taught me a lot.

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abominablesnowaro's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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korpney's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.5

Appreciated the lyrical quality of the writing at times, other times it was frustrating and confusing. Definitely worth reading up on the Russian Revolution and the folktale of Koschei the Deathless before reading.

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latveria's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.0

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stwriter92's review

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challenging emotional tense slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was…a very interesting one to end the year out with. When people asked me to describe this book, I told them it was very much a dark retelling of Alice in Wonderland set in Stalin’s Russia. The entire story had a distinct fairy tale quality, even down to the basic structure. However, this isn’t your Disney-fied fairy tale. No, this was more like the fairy tales of yore with gore, sex, and human evil.

One thing this book showed me was how little I know of Russian folklore and history. I had to constantly look up new information, which (in my humble opinion) was one of the best parts. Learning new information and applying it to my understanding of the story was like watching a 10,000 piece puzzle slowly come together. The writing in this story was so heartbreakingly poetic. I could feel my chest getting tight just from reading the words on the page. As a reader, this is one of my favorite feelings. It is a sign that I have truly fallen completely and under the story’s spell.

My thoughts are still a bit scrambled, so I’m going to actually link to some amazing analyses of this book. Beware, they are analyses and are therefore NOT SPOILER FREE. I suggest reading the book with little to no prior knowledge of it and then learning as you go.

If you are a fan of dark stories, Russian folklore, and the true embodiment of beautiful storytelling, I highly recommend this book.

Analyses
Analysis 1 mostly focusing on the ending part in Yaichka: https://gatheringbones.tumblr.com/post/131312671780

Analysis 2 Another Understanding of the ending: https://mashamorevna.tumblr.com/post/85789279318/reply-to-anon-questions-i-got-about-the-deathless

Postscript:

This book took me ages to read not through any fault of its own. I’ve been in a reading slump that I have managed to claw myself out of at the eleventh hour of this godforsaken year. I think I will be ringing in 2021 by reading the hell out of another book. Toodles.

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