Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

5 reviews

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.25

Every POC character is some combination of unnamed and a prop. They only seem to exist to be victims of the vampires. If it was meant to be symbolic to how whiteness tries to dominate every culture after sucking out anything that could be 'of use' it would be somewhat clever. It isn't written like that is what the intent was. Every female character also serves as little more than a prop. The end effect is like watching a very long, dry monologue. There were jokes within the tale, they just didn't hit for me and I am hard pressed to remember a single one even though I finished the story earlier today.
Other than that, in my mind, major issue the story was okay. Some scenes were enjoyable, others were not. I suspect I am just not a 'history turned fiction' reader as had these characters been wholly fiction my enjoyment of it would have been greater. 
If you like history but not enough to have read all about the events during Lincoln's life you will probably enjoy this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Slavery, and Blood

Moderate: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Genocide, Hate crime, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and War

phillyhufflepunk's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The writing, the story, the metaphor of the vampire is really good. However, it is Abraham Lincoln, the president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation, so slavery and racism are a main part of the book. If that is triggering for you, be cautious. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

heather667's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Moderate: Gun violence, Medical content, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Genocide and Kidnapping

librarymouse's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I listened to Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter as an audiobook on 1.75 x speed, and it felt like a fever dream that happened after doing hours of history and anatomy homework and then falling asleep at the desk. It's gory, historically accurate to a degree, and enrapturing. I generally don't go for political historical fiction, but I genuinely enjoyed this novel. The concept of a failed novelist being sought out by a vampire to write the narrative told in Abraham Lincoln's lifetime of journals is interesting and reminds me of Mary Shelley's introduction to Frankenstein. The shift between first and third person with the journal quotes and narration was slightly off-putting initially, but not a deal breaker.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Medical content and Kidnapping

bookcaptivated's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder