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A review by chronically_sapphic
The Bloodshed Of The Betrayed by A. L. Slade
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This review has spoilers! (I don’t remember most of the names sorry) This was, a book. I honestly hated the insta love, watching the angle be completely devoted and obsessed with the MC without ever even having a conversation with her (and the MC doesn’t even know she exists! They didn’t interact ONCE) was so fucking annoying. Like girl, you’re not in love, you’re an invisible stalker. All the characters trama was so brutal for no god damn reason. It reads like a fanfic written by a middle schooler where someone is always getting hurt so the writer or reader can insert themselves as the one who’s hurt and be comforted by the other characters because no one in their own life will comfort them when they're hurt and they think the only way their pain will be seen as valid is by it being a completely terrible life ending pain. (Speaking from experience but now it gives “Please stop writing and GO TO THERAPY”) I would say this is younger YA (which completely valid to read that’s not what in saying) but I wouldn’t feel comfortable to recommend this to anyone younger than maybe 15 because everything is so brutal and graphic and honestly traumatizing to read without making you feel any empathy for the characters. THE CHARACTERS! The MC and her brother are the most annoying sibling duo ever. They’re full grown adults in and out of college who act like five year olds! In gross ways, not funny ways. The amount of times they opened their mouths at each other with chewed up food in them made me want to vomit.
The end of the book was, nuts. The MC became a research slave to Lucifer, was suicidal, died, came back as an angle, and then found out that the angle who fell in love with her was dead so she started catching feelings too? What? Why!? Now this is a completely me problem so not saying this was the books fault but hearing all the Christian-y words and biblical terms used even through a queer and not harmful lens was so distracting and off putting due to my own trama around Christianity so I think that should be added to content warnings so that anyone with the same issue is aware. Now I was aware of this aspect from already knowing a bit about the book but I didn’t think it was going to be SO MUCH, again not the books fault but something to be aware of.
After I finished this book I was so blissfully happy it was over I almost cried, maybe I should have dnf’ed it but I wanted to read it for sapphic September so I powered through. I think the relationships and characters and plot and magic system could have been much better if the book was longer and took more time with things, like I couldn’t even tell you what the MCs bed room looked like, so little was described in the book it was impossible to feel like I was in that world .
Am I saying this was a bad book? Yes and no. It’s a bad book for me. I’m sure other people out there will love this book and I’m happy for them! I’m just glad it’s over. I am happy I supported the author though, because she seems great and I might read more of her work later just nothing with these same characters because then I might be the one begging for Lucifer to kill me.
The end of the book was, nuts. The MC became a research slave to Lucifer, was suicidal, died, came back as an angle, and then found out that the angle who fell in love with her was dead so she started catching feelings too? What? Why!? Now this is a completely me problem so not saying this was the books fault but hearing all the Christian-y words and biblical terms used even through a queer and not harmful lens was so distracting and off putting due to my own trama around Christianity so I think that should be added to content warnings so that anyone with the same issue is aware. Now I was aware of this aspect from already knowing a bit about the book but I didn’t think it was going to be SO MUCH, again not the books fault but something to be aware of.
After I finished this book I was so blissfully happy it was over I almost cried, maybe I should have dnf’ed it but I wanted to read it for sapphic September so I powered through. I think the relationships and characters and plot and magic system could have been much better if the book was longer and took more time with things, like I couldn’t even tell you what the MCs bed room looked like, so little was described in the book it was impossible to feel like I was in that world .
Am I saying this was a bad book? Yes and no. It’s a bad book for me. I’m sure other people out there will love this book and I’m happy for them! I’m just glad it’s over. I am happy I supported the author though, because she seems great and I might read more of her work later just nothing with these same characters because then I might be the one begging for Lucifer to kill me.