Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon

8 reviews

faehistory's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, and Grief

julienicole1106's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

mollyelyn's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

4.75

WHAT DID I SAY? Every book is better than the last! This is a lot slower in pace, and needs to be to show Paige’s recovery and struggle with PTSD from the end of the previous instalment. It also allows time for the relationship between Paige and Warden (now ARCTURUS 😍) to blossom and develop into something truely beautiful. Their relationship is so tender and supportive, and they bounce off each other so beautifully. The lack of most of the supporting cast from the previous novels leaves time for their romance to blossom. However just because the romance is sweet, doesn’t mean the book isn’t heart-wrenching and devastating. The twists are immaculate as always, and a specific third act red herring moment made me SOB MY EYES OUT, as i briefly believed it to be true, as Paige did. I am especially excited to revisit this in May when the revised editions are released, as I rushed my reading as I was moving overseas and didnt want to bring the paperback with me just for the sake of the last 75 or so pages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

bookspaperink's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Minor: Pregnancy and Alcohol

vendottie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Murder

Moderate: Grief and Death of parent

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

sarahholliday's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense 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

4.5

She's done it again!

Samantha Shannon writes poignant, lyrical fantasy with first-rate world building and characters who are so nuanced they seem to leap of the page. It's what makes her novels such a joy to read. 

As a standalone work, I think The Mask Falling has a cohesive feel to it, as well as a compelling self-contained plot. Within the series, this installment is a beautiful combination of slower, more character-driven story and white-knuckle moments of action & tension. More than ever, it's clear that Shannon still has a wealth of information and secrets to reveal when it comes to the Bone Series universe.

The ending of TMF felt a little overly-full to me. Some of the really fascinating nuance of Paris' criminal syndicate gets lost in the back-to-back action sequences, but perhaps that relentlessness is meant to reflect the never-ending chaos of life in the midst of totalitarianism & rebellion. 

If you have yet to pick up this series, I can't recommend it enough. It grabs you from the beginning and, as The Mask Falling shows, never fails to dazzle.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Murder

Moderate: Torture and Vomit

forthesanityof1's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

This book.
Holy shit.
This fucking book held me by the throat and made me beg for scraps of happiness. This book was so achingly, painfully raw and human it physically hurt me. I had to pause so many times to take a deep breath because I knew what was coming was going to hurt. Samantha Shannon is master at what she creates with this series. The prose was engaging and moving the entire time. The plot held my interest like a vice through the book with no pacing issues, even with the revelations at the last hundred or so pages (*cries*). It flowed well with the set up from the previous books and built Paige and Arcturus in exquisite ways that felt natural. The way Shannon illustrated the growth of the characters is something I'm still trying to put into words; the forward momentum is obvious in the best way-there is still potential to be wrought and revelations to be made. I literally don't know what to say because it was. Just. That. Good. This was already one of my favorite series that I push whenever someone asks for recommendations, but I will be SHOVING this series down everyone's throats whenever possible. Wow.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, and Murder

tashayns's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Medical content, and Murder

Minor: Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, and Vomit