freya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, Blood, and Gore
alphabetmafiamember's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: War, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Xenophobia, Vomit, Sexism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Misogyny, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Grief, Confinement, Classism, Drug use, Dementia, Cursing, and Child death
Minor: Sexual assault and Slavery
analenegrace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, War, Cursing, Grief, and Stalking
growplantsreadbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
There was a bit too much "there is no way they both like me" when the hot vampires were literally throwing themselves at him ... But there were enough reasons for Remy as a character to feel that way so it at least made sense.
Spoiler
I thought their sex-filled Fortnite at Xiaodan's placeThe characters didn't have the most annoying features of their Castlevania doppelgangers (alcoholism & not kissing each other), but the characters were so similar in every other way that it was hard to think of these stories separately. I kinda wish Zidan was more moody like Alucard, it felt like
Spoiler
they made him more aggressive because he's a top lolAnyway, this book is full of action and it was hard to put down. I finished the whole thing in a weekend! Id recommend it to anyone a fan of queer fantasy!
I'll definitely read the next one.
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, and Sexual assault
Minor: Vomit
fifteenthjessica's review against another edition
- 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
Rin Chupeco definitely knows how to craft an intriguing fantasy novel with complex characters that mix in the most interesting ways, but I'm still not sold on her skill at describing what is going on. Like the huas in The Bone Witch, the Breaker, Remy's main weapon, is hard for me to picture. It's called a scythe often, so I assume it has a more polearm like handle, but the way he's described as moving with it makes it hard for me to picture him doing it with a long handle. A picture on a variant cover suggests it is in fact a short handle and heavily inspired by real world weapons like Kusarigama, but it's never outright stated, probably because pre-modern Japanese weaponry is an obscure area of knowledge for most Western readers. Also, like when I read the Bone Witch, I found myself sitting there wondering "Wait, how'd that happen?" as a main character is described as having a serious injury.
Fair warning to anyone looking into book who are younger fans of Chupeco's YA novels, things get steamy. Most is completely consensual, but an important subplot is about Remy's affair with an older woman (possibly multiple) that is less due to any attraction Remy's feels for her and more because it's the only way to get information about vampire movement in Aluria that everyone admits should be given to him because he's a vampire hunter, but the woman's husband is a giant asshole. Nothing graphic, but characters definitely bang, and I know I would not have enjoyed that type of content when I was in my young teens.
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Infidelity, War, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Gore, Grief, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Kidnapping, Classism, Vomit, and Medical content
lbelow's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Torture, Murder, Child death, Body horror, Alcohol, Xenophobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Hate crime, Death, and Cursing
Minor: Sexual assault and Adult/minor relationship
A disabled characterSpoiler
is cured by nefarious meanslilifane's review against another edition
- 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
I had a lot of fun, mostly because of the characters, their dynamics and the writing style. I liked the main characters a lot and the way they interacted with each other. They seemed kind of one dimensional on their own, but I loved all the messy and complicated relationships and character dynamics they had between each other and the ones around them. There was my favorite love triangle trope, where all three of them are equally into each other. And although I'm not the biggest fan of NSFW scenes, they fit the vibe. I'm also glad they were short and mostly faded to black. I just wish this relationship was explored in a more nuanced way rather than concentrating on the desire and sex aspect of it. I still don't know how and why Xiaodan and Zidan fell in love with Remy this quickly. I definitely prefer a subtler development with slow burn. What I really loved were the discussions about consent and abuse, about trauma and self-worth, though. And I feel like these were in the center of the story more than the plot itself.
The plot was probably the weakest part for me. I was in the mood for a vampire story and liked these aspects a lot. I even liked there was a vampire zombie pandemic. I liked that there was a murder mystery and other mysteries as well. I just don't think they were presented well. There was a lot of telling instead of showing. Most of the reveals were pretty predictable. There were repetitions and things happening off page. Things only being hinted at. I wish we got more of those instead of the action/fighting scenes because these were my least favorite part.
The world building is interesting, it just wasn't explored enough for my taste. I'm definitely interested in more stories from this world because there is a lot of potential.
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gore, Blood, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Child death, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
cheye13's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
It's everything I loved from The Bone Witch trilogy, but stepped up just a little for an adult audience and it sure hits the spot. Can't wait to see what Chupeco does with this series.
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Murder, Grief, and War
Minor: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Child death, Cursing, Dementia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Infidelity
Also moderate warnings for mind control and loss of autonomy, and general warning for content that typically comes with both zombies (flesh) and vampires (blood). The most graphic child death occurs in the first chapter, and the parental grief is contained to early chapters. The emotional abuse is parental and more of a background element.just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Blood, Cursing, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Vomit, Body horror, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Murder
pvbobrien's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Bullying, Medical content, Sexual content, Hate crime, and Child abuse
Minor: Cursing, Pregnancy, Child death, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, and Animal death