Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Shadow of Night (Movie Tie-In) by Deborah Harkness

5 reviews

mads_reads_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Stalking, Child abuse, Ableism, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Miscarriage, Classism, Violence, Death of parent, and Hate crime

Moderate: Misogyny and Miscarriage

gillian_aftanas's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Grief, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Murder, Blood, Mental illness, Gore, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexism, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Classism, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Death of parent

Minor: Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Sexual assault, Vomit, Confinement, Child abuse, Child death, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Drug abuse, and Rape

vilde_a's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

Absolutely loved the second book in this trilogy, the author is so talented at describing a time gone by in a detailed and lively manner. A great sequel to the first book. Can’t help but compare it to the tv show, and they’re both great! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Miscarriage, and Torture

Minor: War and Colonisation

baearles's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Addiction, Violence, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, and Alcohol

Minor: Sexual content, Miscarriage, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Antisemitism, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Murder, and Torture

nestofwordsandblankets's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

Shadow of Night is a great example of middle book syndrome chock-full of expected tropes and loose ends. There are several trigger warnings that should be researched prior to reading this book.

While there was great imagery of Elizabethan London, the story dragged on with more characters than necessary. I love a good historical reference, but I found myself rereading passages to confirm the connections between the players in this time-traveling adventure. The name index at the end of the book was very helpful.

Matthew and Diana were not likable in most of the story. Their relationship fell into a negative cyclical pattern, which was distracting to the story. How can two people, who are so entrenched in defending their love and discovering truths, feel so unsure about each other? Why would you time travel with someone then? This dynamic made it difficult to believe their relationship was fated and worth fighting for.

There were several open-ended plot lines, which only added to the confusion and frustration of this story. I can only hope the third book will have answers, though a few Elizabethan characters may never have their true conclusion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Drug use, Death, and Toxic friendship