Reviews tagging 'Violence'

My Dearest Darkest by Kayla Cottingham

10 reviews

carsonbailey's review

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? No

5.0

This book was so good!! I read it in one sitting and am obsessed with the vibes. The characters where dynamic and vibrant and the plot was well done. The pacing of the book was great and I just overall loved the style and aesthetic of the book. I highly recommend to people who love horror, dark academia, and a diverse cast of characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Violence

Moderate: Gore, Murder, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Outing

kolanya's review

adventurous dark 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

3.75

it’s a pretty good book—i found myself invested in the plot and what was going to happen next. i wasn’t super attached to all of the characters, but i cared about enough that it wasn’t a chore to get through or anything. there are lots of modern-day pop culture references, which are often a hit or miss in general. the writing style could use some polishing and the main character was a little plain, nothing special, but i did enjoy the wlw rep :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Body horror, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Outing

marleywrites's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.5

This book was so gross. I loved it. It’s nasty parts were disgusting and I could picture the visuals so clearly. It was awesome. 

I was rooting for Finch and Selena from their very first meeting. I loved the supporting characters of Sumera, Simon, Amber, and Risa. 

Kyra was the perfect villain and pawn for Nerosi.

The spookiest part for me was when Simon and Selena saw the Echo of Margo. For some reason that really freaked me out. But in the best way. 

Overall I liked the writing style and humor of the book. I liked the characters. 

I wish Sumera could have been seen as more multi-dimensional rather than always being upset with Finch or Selena. I also wish we had slightly more build up towards the beginning of the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Violence, Biphobia, Blood, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Outing and Suicide

Mention of past suicide off page occurs twice and is brief. Outing is referred to in the past.

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? No

3.0

This was creepy AF. It was okay, I liked most of the characters but I don't think we got enough of Sumera or Simon. Only the two very main characters were properly developed. I also thought the final fight scene was way too drawn out. 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Body horror

Moderate: Outing, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Mental illness

pey333's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Sexual content, Alcohol, and Cursing

btorsi's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

first solid 5 star review of 2022. this book was marketed as wilder girls meets it and it delivered in the best way. at first i thought the writing and pacing was a little juvenile but by the end i wanted it to be 800 pages because i couldn't accept it was over. incredible opening lines. i loved it so much i can't formulate actual thoughts other than "HOLY SHIT". sapphic horror is my new jam.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Body horror and Outing

Minor: Toxic friendship and Animal death

aubdotcom's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read a work book after my months longings streak and it was so worth the extra time it took, this book was so good!!! I loved the Lovecraftian horror, dark academia vibes and of course the NATURAL LGBTQ characters!!! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and Gore

nerp's review

dark 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: Toxic relationship, Body horror, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Death of parent, Gore, and Murder

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

astralbooks's review

dark hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Violence and Death of parent

Moderate: Outing

alli_the_bookaholic13's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

Thank you Raincoast Books for an ARC copy for an honest review. 

This was an excellent YA queer mystery thriller. If you’re not already intrigued by that alone, there are potential cult elements, a mysterious band disappearance from almost 20 years ago, a queer girl coming to terms with her sexuality, and a weird thing in the tunnels beneath the school that can grant wishes. 
The writing style was really good. It was super easy to follow, and the author developed the creepy and unsettling atmosphere really well. I was completely sucked into this story, and I didn’t want to put it down. It did feel a little slow at times, but I enjoyed the mystery aspect and also the relationship aspect. 
Finch has lived a pretty sheltered life, but after her parents death, she starts at Ulalume. She and Selena are drawn towards each other, and I enjoyed seeing Finch come to terms with her crush on Selena. Their relationship was really good, and I liked how it developed over the course of the book. Finch is also drawn down into the tunnels beneath Ulalume where she accidentally pulls something into existence in their world. 
Selena was also a good character. I liked her confidence and how she owned her identity, and I really felt for her when we learned how she’d suffered before getting to this place where she could own it. Her toxic friendship/relationship with Kyra was very unsettling, and Kyra only became worse as the book progressed. Selena is drawn not only towards Finch, but she’s also pulled into the mystery of the thing in the tunnels when Kyra discovers it and gets her friends involved. 
This got pretty dark at times, and the ending was really intense. I really liked the friendships that developed in the book, the romance, and the creepy mystery.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Death, Murder, Death of parent, and Animal death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Mental illness

Minor: Grief, Suicide, Alcohol, Drug use, Medical trauma, and Outing