Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews

6 reviews

edwardian_girl_next_door's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book is (all puns intended) bewitching. The suspense is so well done that I could hardly stand to put it down. There were a few moments were I felt like it was drawn out too much, but for the most part, it kept the plot moving seamlessly. I really liked the protagonist and Chrissa Moore, and the secondary and tertiary characters all felt well fleshed out and like individuals.

For most of the book, it is unclear whether or not the witch accusations stem from the supernatural.

Spoiler

Even though I am not the biggest fan of the supernatural in books, I was won over by this story. It might have been cooler to have Esther as the 'witch', hiding her true malicious nature under a facade of religious sweetness and docility, and the accusations merely a ploy of hers; however, that would have taken the story in a much different direction. I also would like to know where Thomas got his information about M... He certainly kept us all in the dark about that one

I loved the ending, and felt that all the loose ends were tied up effectively. I look forward to any future books that Andrews may publish!

If you liked The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry, Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell, or The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell, you will like The Leviathan. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Death, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, and Violence

Moderate: Gore, Child abuse, and Misogyny

Minor: Pregnancy, War, and Cursing

bookforthought's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

Right from its beautiful cover and intriguing synopsis, The Leviathan promised to be an unsettling and atmospheric read. Although it did achieve some of that thanks to some pretty impressive research and evocative writing, it ultimately left me somewhat disappointed.

The 17th-century setting works very well to help create that unnerving atmosphere of danger and distrust, with a Civil War and witch hunts looming in the background as we focus on Thomas's home, a deeply domestic setting and a safe haven that is safe no more. Despite this, the dual timeline removed much of the tension, as certain key points were very easy to guess once a few elements were revealed in the future.

Although the setting and atmosphere were mostly on point, the characters are where this book really lost me. None of the relationships felt established enough, remaining mostly surface-level and lowering the stakes even further. There were a lot of different elements to this (maybe too many), but none of them ever felt as if it came to completion, stopping just short, and all potential conflict elements (even those relating to the historical setting) were quickly dismissed. In the end, I found I just really didn't care much about any of it.

Still, this is by no means a bad read if you enjoy slower-paced and understated stories or if you're looking for an unsettling book just for the vibes as we enter spooky season, because this had spooky vibes aplenty. I just wanted something more from it, so sadly it didn't work for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, and Misogyny

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Confinement

sarahweekes's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Animal death

miles_books45's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.75

It was ok. Thats all I can kinda say. 

Spoiler

it was a mix of witches craft , weird supernatural stuff , old scandal and lots of talk of lust then like watching the exercist aswell. The story felt like a contradiction within itself,  even with Thomas saying he cares for Henry even though he isn't his blood whilst his sister not even being his blood,  it just feels like sudden twists with not much explanation

I wish it has contained more biblical imagery and dived into the beliefs of the Bible and further into who the leviathans are as well as where they come from.

However , I cant fault some of the writing.  She was able to hold me into the book and keep me reading through that chapters and created amazing atmospheres but the plot just lost it for me , it just felt like a mix of everything and sudden resolution at the end.

Also , the flipping from all witch based events to even more different events as well as the constant flip to the different timed letters that somehow the newer letter seeming like his wishes but somehow those wishes coming true in an earlier world. Im not sure about this.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Torture and Suicide

theirgracegrace's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

The Leviathan is an interesting take on the cosmic horror genre. Thomas Treadwater is a returning soldier during the English Civil War who returns home to find his father on his deathbed, his sister inconsolable and their servant accused of witchcraft. While Andrews clearly has an understanding of the time period and of the mindset of those who lived in it, much of the book feels sluggish as Thomas desperately searches for answers. Even after getting them, he refuses to do much with them, causing a time jump of 60 years to when he finally gets the nerve to confront his fear. While an interesting take, only those with a deep interest in cosmic horror or period dramas will find the book "bewitching."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexism, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Vomit, Police brutality, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

The book takes place in the mid-17th century so there is a lot of Christian religious imagery and content. Also,

Spoiler

Esther and later Milton

start prophesizing and the images can be quite visceral to read.

megpadams's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

3.5

I wanted to love this book so badly. I pre ordered it because the cover was so beautiful and it sounded intriguing. Sadly, it just didn’t deliver. 
It was definitely an enjoyable read, but it missed on all the points I was looking for; the suspense and the eldritch horror of a  leviathan. I think my expectations were probably too high.

Spoiler

Also, I really didn’t like how Andrew’s made Milton’s blindness some sort of demon curse by having the Leviathan grant him a mystical vision and leading to Paradise Lost. Can’t we just have a normal blind person for once? Why does it always have to be mystica? <\spoiler> 
I’d recommend this book for fans of The Essex Serpent or Karen Maitland’s books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and War