spicytomato's reviews
4 reviews

Shadows so Cruel by Liv Zander

dark medium-paced

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

0.5

I should have paid attention to the trigger warnings because the darker elements were, in my opinion, gratuitous just to be shocking without adding or contributing to character or story development. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Pedophilia, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Pedophilia, Child death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

An exploration of humanity and how we respond to loss, grief and destruction on a global scale. Aspects of this book destroyed my heart with poignant stories of incredible heartache and loss. Truly devastating but I couldn’t put it down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, Death, and Suicide

The Will of the Many by James Islington

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Easily one of the best epic fantasy books I’ve ever read. I could not stop reading this book- it took familiar tropes and completely reinvented them. Much of the mystery presented in the first book is intensified steadily and left with a delicious cliffhanger in the epilogue. I’m chomping at the bits for the next books release. Holy moly.

Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent

fast-paced

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

5.0

This was a phenomenal addition to the Crowns of Nyaxia world. I really enjoyed getting the back story of Vale and Lillith- it only enriches their role in the second book later down the road.