Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

104 reviews

kathleenivy's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent, Dementia, Terminal illness, and Death

Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Gore, Sexual content, Suicide, Lesbophobia, Eating disorder, and Gaslighting

maggiemcfly's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad 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? No

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Body horror

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia

olive_lol's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

The main draw of this book is its atmophere: unsettling, contemplative, and unique in use of the ocean, showcased in its lyrical and haunting prose. I can't get over the writing in this book—it fits the flowing, unnerving nature of the ocean so well.

The novel's horror is eerie and slowburn, so much so that at times, it may not really feel like horror at all, just a lingering unease. The horror aspects, I'd say, are most effective if a reader comes into the story already afraid of the ocean.

Seeing Leah's perspective from the past contrasted alongside her in the present creates a certain disconnect that leaves the reader questioning how, exactly, she could have changed so much. That said, the ending left a few more open questions than I would have liked, and some parts of it felt half-heartedly set up.

An eerie, unsettling read with haunting prose whose characters and storyline mirror the ocean it centers around.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide, Cursing, and Death

Minor: Blood and Vomit

autumnk3lly's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

i am so fucking confused

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Death of parent

lefay_'s review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Body horror, Blood, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Death of parent and Lesbophobia

kirkspockreads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Gore

theo_retical's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.5

Enjoyable, but a little frustrating in that things felt unexplained/ambiguous 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Body horror, and Blood

Moderate: Abandonment and Death

shebbyreads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Body horror, and Blood

Moderate: Death of parent

alisonfaith426's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Sexual content, Death, Death of parent, and Grief

Minor: Animal death and Alcohol

noble_xoxo's review against another edition

challenging mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.75

Interesting book. Often challenging to piece together the entire picture.  Characters are highly flawed but highly human. Goes where you expect it to. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Blood

Moderate: Abandonment