Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon

11 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

chasinggrace's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I can’t even breathe rn

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

barda's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

A spectacular, incredibly romantic book. Even if the cliffhanger is the worst and makes me cry.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Grief, and War

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

bennispizza's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Body horror, Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Moderate: Trafficking

Minor: Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Death of parent, 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

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

dragontomes2000's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

5.0

After that ending I'm not even entirely sure I to even write this review. Once again when I tell you that I inhaled the last like 150 pages, I literally mean inhaled them. I am emotionally wrecked, mentally destroyed, and searching for my soul because it has left my body. Samantha Shannon I adore dearly but Part 3 was just too much, way too much. I mean just rude, lol!

The Mask Falling, as some of us who have been following Samantha Shannon, knows that this is where the series is closing arc one, but also opening arc two. Which in a sense means Mask Falling is like a bridge book, I would agree to disagree with that statement. The Mask Falling is so much more, but to go into why that is would hinge on spoilers and I don't do spoilers. Just know that Samantha Shannon had a clear vision for how she wanted this story to go and she executed it flawlessly. I mean seriously from Paige's excellent character development, to shady new characters, gripping action sequences, and even high stake espionage and politics. This fourth novel had it all.

Paige is an extremely strong female protagonist, one of the best in an ongoing series by far. The Mask Falling showed her in such a fragile, yet vulnerable spotlight that was handled with utmost care. Again I don't want to dish out any spoilers, so I am going to be as vague as can be, but if you have read this series then you know exactly what I mean. Watching Paige grow and evolve from book to book is truly amazing and it is one of the biggest reasons I continue to be excited for this series. That is not to say Paige is the only reason because the story is dynamite as well.

The Mask Falling is an extraordinary follow up to The Song Rising and an incredible continuation to the Bone Season series. Definitely worth the 4/5 year wait. However, and this is for you Samantha Shannon, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT MAKE US WAIT THAT LONG FOR BOOK FIVE PLEASE!!!!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

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