Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - The Black Veins

Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Black Veins by Ashia Monet

7 reviews

directorpurry's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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

3.0

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oliverreeds's review

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adventurous emotional funny slow-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

4.0

only reason its a four is bc of spelling mistakes and like a few really bad plot holes (and also how slow it was for a hot minute). the characters are beautifully written. the dialogue is amazing. i genuinely loved this book

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longlost's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense slow-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

"They squeeze Blythe’s hand as if they could transfer their own will straight into her veins. “You come from an amazing family, Blythe. They’re strong. And so are you. They believe in you, and they know you haven’t given up on them, and they believe, with every fiber of their heart and being, that you’re coming to save them. You’re going get in that van and you’re going to drive. Drive until you find your family again. Drive until you that find fucker from the Trident Republic and give. Him. Hell.” Jamie’s eyes blaze. “Drive until you light Electric City the fuck up.”

I knew I had to read this book the minute I read the "no-love-interest, found family adventure you’ve been searching for," tag in the summary. And while it took me a little while to really get into the story, I'm glad I stuck it out because it was all worth it for that ending.

One of the biggest strengths of this book is its characters. The development between the Guardians' relationship was incredible, both heartwarming and heartbreaking when it needed to be. I adored each and every one of them; Blythe for her determination to rescue her family, Cordelia for how

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her character developed throughout the story, until she was prepared to sacrifice her own family to save Blythe's

, Daniel's shy-spoken demeanor and

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the bravery he developed along their journey

, Antonio and his ability to bring positivity and optimism to any situation, Storm and her incredible coolness

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and her kindness towards Daniel

, Caspian's

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willingness to own up to his mistakes and do better

, and

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Jay's bravery in stepping into a world he's never been a part of just to help some new friends.

Ashia Monet crafts a rich inner world just beyond the reach of the Common - where magic sings in your veins, and where dangers lurk in every corner. While I was incredibly attached to the Guardians and their characters, the other characters that Monet places into this world were just as full of depth and each provided a new window into this world of magic that the book draws us into. Despite their brief appearance, I loved reading about Jamie and their attempts to befriend Blythe, and Katia was frustratingly endearing even if I still don't understand a lot of her character.

You can really feel the love Monet has for this world in her writing. The fondess for the characters, the detail for the world they inhabit, the power behind this found family adventure that comprises of queer POC teenagers finding themselves and finding each other. Every word is crafted with such care, such indisputable respect for each of the characters and their stories. I can't stress enough how much I loved reading about the Guardians and their storylines. Definitely a book I'd recommend to anyone fond of the found family trope, and to anyone who's looking for a road trip rescue mission with a lot of bonding and some bombass worldbuilding.

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Violence, Cursing, and Gore

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Car accident, and Grief

Minor: Death, Transphobia, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders

Content warnings from the author: Discussion of deceased parents, siblings, and potential parental and familial death. Description of mild bloodshed in violent scenes. Mention of drugs and drug use, primarily marijuana. Gun use. Supernatural horror in the form of monsters, primarily found in Chapters 6, 12, and 25. Car accident in Chapter 19 Discussion of anxiety disorders and panic disorders primarily found in Chapters 22, 23, and 25 Racial n-word slur, ending in -a, found in Chapter 21 (before you drag me, yes, I am Black). Mild anxiety attack in Chapter 25. GRAPHIC: Cursing: The characters curse quite often. Kidnapping: The book is about Blythe's journey to rescue her family after they are kidnapped. Violence / gore: There are various fight scenes throughout the book. MODERATE: Adult/minor relationship: Blythe makes the observation that

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Jay is hooking up with the adult leader of a motorcycle gang.

Blood: Blood is mentioned in various scenes in the book. Car accident: See author content warnings. Confinement: Blythe is confined for information in at least two places in the book. Drug use: Caspian is noted to be using / selling drugs. Grief: Blythe's grief regarding the kidnapping of her family is detailed. Gun violence: Some of the battle scenes feature soldiers with guns. Racial slurs: See author content warnings. Stalking: Blythe and the other Guardians are followed by operatives working for the Trident Republic throughout the book. MINOR: Death / death of parent: See author content warnings. Transphobia: When Katia meets Caspian, she asks him why he'd changed his name in a manner that can be confronting. Panic attacks / disorders: See author content warnings.

yvonne_cl's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-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

4.0

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ramunepocky's review

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adventurous emotional funny

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I really, really enjoyed this book!!! The pacing was a little slow to begin with, and it took me a while to get into the story, but once I was drawn into it, I was fully in that world!!! I really, really love all of the characters, especially Caspian (my absolute favourite), and Antonio, who is just so damn precious!!! The main seven were such a cool cast, and I really want to see more of them!!! I also really loved Jamie, and it was nice to have such casual nonbinary rep!!!
The ending goddamn made me cry, and I just very much would like more of them please and thanks !!!

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margotnelson's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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

3.0

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I grew really attached to the characters. Their group dynamic was so fun, their banter was entertaining, and they're a great example of the found family trope. On the other hand, the writing felt clunky for most of the book, with a lot of info-dumping sections and blocks of dialogue explaining the world-building in a way that did not feel like the way real people talk at all. There were also plot-lines and secondary characters that were made to seem really important and then were never resolved. I think there's going to be a second book, so maybe the answers will be in there.

I'd say if you're looking for a fun, slightly corny book of magic antics with a diverse cast of goofy teenagers, this is a good pick!

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alexture's review

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adventurous lighthearted tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The idea is good. The characters are wonderful - or could be wonderful, if the character building was more subtle. I think that's what I missed the most in this book, subtlety. Characters were predictable, what happened was predictable - unless there was nothing hinting at it because it was there to surprise us, the one twist I hadn't seen coming was an attempt at securing a second book but didn't bring much outside of that. Some scenes were clearly written at the beginning, and sometimes it looked like the book was just an excuse to get these 5 or 6 super detailed scenes out there to the public.
I read through it, and I was bored. I think it was really the way it was written, more than the content itself, because during the entire read, I kept imagining really cool animation. I'd have watched a animation series based on the exact same story. The novel format unfortunately didn't give it justice.

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