midnightrose_reads's reviews
294 reviews

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The Familiar is a beautifully told dark historical fantasy set in the Spanish Golden Age. Leigh Bardugo is a remarkable storyteller who proves with every release why she’s not only one of my favorite authors, but an auto-buy author as well!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Vomit, Antisemitism, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual content and Cursing

Minor: War

Magnolia Parks: Into the Dark by Jessa Hastings

dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad tense medium-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

4.0

Magnolia Parks: Into the Dark is the emotional conclusion to B.J. and Magnolia’s story. I loved this book, but with that being said, this wasn’t a five star read like the other books in the series for me. I felt like the other books in this series flowed much better due, in part, that they weren’t as long as this book is. It’s tricky when your contemporary is over 500 pages to keep the flow of the book snappy and dynamic. I love long epic fantasy novels, but with contemporaries I tend to prefer trimly edited books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Abandonment, Car accident, and Miscarriage

Minor: Rape

No Exit by Taylor Adams

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A solid thriller that I’m not surprised at being very popular. I found this one more compelling than his latest release, The Last Word.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Gun violence, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Violence, Grief, and Torture

Unmissing by Minka Kent

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Another wild thriller ride from Minka Kent! Narrated by Carly Robins and Jane Oppenheimer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Gun violence, Blood, Toxic relationship, Murder, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual assault

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson is a standalone sapphic dark academia retelling of Carmilla. 

It was mostly an enjoyable read for me even though some things bothered me about the plot. Specifically the lack of urgency on the part of DeLafontaine, Laura and Carmilla to dispatch an out of control vampire on the college campus sooner in the narrative. Instead DeLafontaine introduces them to vampire society (specifically Carmilla who she’s turned earlier in the story; with her human companion Laura in tow), Laura goes for Thanksgiving break to San Francisco to spend time with her friend’s family, and DeLafontaine holds these private poetry readings between Carmilla and Laura. There doesn’t seem to be a sense of urgency until towards the end of the book to prevent more murders of the student body which I found bizarre.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Death of parent and Grief

The Watcher Girl by Minka Kent

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Watcher Girl is a thriller by  Minka Kent. The audiobook is narrated by Saskia Maarleveld.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Confinement

Tastes Like Candy by Ivy Tholen

adventurous mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Tastes Like Candy is a slasher horror book by Ivy Tholen.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death, Murder, Vomit, Blood, Drug use, Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Gone Again by Minka Kent

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

Gone Again is a thriller by Minka Kent. Audiobook is narrated by Teri Schnaubelt & Gabra Zackman.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Medical trauma, Violence, and Emotional abuse

When I Was You by Minka Kent

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

When I Was You by Minka Kent is a twisty thriller. Narrated by Erin deWard and Will Damron.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Gaslighting, Violence, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Murder and Death of parent

Surrender by Sam Mariano

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Surrender is the fourth book in the Coastal Elite series. Silvan and Sophie meet at his Halloween party and Silvan becomes immediately obsessed with her like all Sam’s ‘heroes.’ This was another enjoyable dark romance from Sam Mariano. I enjoyed Silvan more than the previous MMC Landon in ‘Contempt’. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Sexual content

Moderate: Death