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pacifickat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
"We'd fought side by side [...], and like I said, there's a bond between men who have placed their lives in a brother's hands and asked that brother to do the same. But there's fanaticism, too. There's faith unbridled and minds unquestioning, the soldier at the order of his commander, the faithful at the word of their priest. [...] My brother trusted me not so much as once he had."
Ok, so first off, my big beef with Kristoff as a writer:
He seems to have ripped off major elements of other writers and creators, such as
Do readers who adore this book simply not recognize all the glaringly obvious borrowed plot elements, or do they enjoy the references and not mind that it makes the storyline easy to anticipate? I felt like this blunted what probably should have been the most surprising plot twists, and saw several big reveals coming a mile away, somewhat gobsmacked the author would so directly pull from other books and media. When I described some of these overlaps with other works to my husband, he asked if I thought the book was partially written by AI. (I don't believe it was, but that would exlpain the number of things pulled from existing sources.)
I also didn't really like how sanguimancy was never really explained other than it fixes a lot of problems in a pinch in the story. Feels very convenient, a very squishy element of the magic system.
Now, on to things I liked:
In the end, I still very much enjoyed the audiobook. The audio narrator did a brilliant job bringing the characters to life with various distinct accents and voice intonations. I honestly probably would have given up on the book otherwise due to all of the seeming copy/paste from works of other creators and the subsequent predictability of the storyline.
I know the author doesn't like the term, but the story is grimdark through and through, meaning no good and noble deed goes unpunished. I like what this kind of story says about those who do good in a bleak world in spite of great personal cost. Kindness and mercy are only extended at great risk. I think this is one of the most compelling things about EotV. Allowing oneself to love takes the greatest sort of courage.
I liked how Kristoff used this dark and bloody setting to explore ideas about faith, fate, fidelity, fanaticism, family, friendship, and the stubborn endurance of hope. (I know, that last one should have started with F as well.) There are elements of the One Faith, the book's thinly veiled version of Christianity, that are just as dark and frightening as the impending vampire invasion: a torturous inquisition, corporal punishments, acts of violence in the name of blind faith, fidelity to the cruel teachings and practices of church leaders, fanatical interpretations of scriptures and prophecies, and an underlying religious lore that makes sacrificing individuals for the sake of the whole an acceptable and honorable wager (in the pattern of the Christ figure they call the Redeemer). This is a world of characters caught between a rock and a hard place, each deciding what to do in the face of their humanity becoming a liability. What will they hope in? What hill will they die on? Who/what will they sacrifice for redemption? This is where the book is at its best.
The best action sequence imo was
I wish that
Anyways, that's my meandering review on this 27+ hour listen. I will likely listen to book 2 next month.
Graphic: Drug use, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Torture, Gore, Slavery, Homophobia, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Gun violence, Bullying, Body horror, Death, Outing, Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder, Grief, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, War, Child death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Animal death, Confinement, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault, Classism, Rape, and Sexual violence
Religious trauma, religious fanaticism, clergy abuse, fridged female characers, biting, eyeball injurieschloebear21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Violence and Blood
metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: War, Animal death, Blood, Addiction, Drug use, Sexual content, Violence, Torture, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, and Cursing
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Bullying, Death of parent, Confinement, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
bookscatsandtats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Animal death, Death of parent, Gore, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Cursing, Death, Grief, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual content
porshainielsen's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
This really took me by surprise. High vampire fantasy that is quite adult in nature. Truly non-stop action throughout the entire book. I have seen some reviewers talk about how this is an "average" vampire story. Huh?? What are ya'll reading? The way this is written is unique in the way that it is Gabe telling his story, which at first can make it a little confusing. It does remind me of The Last of Us and the relationship between Ellie and Joel.
Speaking of reviews, there are a lot of complaints about how women are treated in this book. I typically hate misogyny written into novels, but that was a part of this reading experience. I am not sure what people expected out of a high fantasy novel taking place in a monastery where the women are forced to be nuns. Although the misogyny is obviously wrong, it is no different than what it is in Game of Thrones or The Witcher. Not every fantasy book needs a feminist protagonist to be entertaining. And actually, there was some good feminist commentary regarding Dior and their gender identity. I will say the underage sex will was a little tough. There was no reason for them to be sixteen, the author could have easily made the character eighteen and the impact would be the same. I will say that there is similar content in other books and they do not receive the same amount of hate as this one.
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Homophobia
malreadsthebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Torture, Addiction, Animal death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Drug use, and Gore
Moderate: Murder, Child abuse, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and War
Minor: Child death and Suicidal thoughts
bev3203's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Addiction, Murder, Violence, Gore, Cursing, Blood, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Bullying
cici2's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Blood, Gore, Sexual content, War, and Violence
Minor: Death, Alcohol, and Cursing
rileyrhey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Death, Grief, Murder, Child death, Violence, War, Alcoholism, Cursing, Gore, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy
kbc_dino's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Cursing, Murder, Death of parent, Violence, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Child death, Drug use, Bullying, Alcohol, and Child abuse
Minor: Outing, Grief, Homophobia, Classism, Religious bigotry, and Torture