Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco

9 reviews

nefariousbee's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.5

i really needed a three way romance actually. didn't even know I had
the world was easy to fall into, the characters and relationships make you squirm inside in a good way, and even tho I found the plot lacking, I'm not a plot person anyway.
Im gonna come back to the series and we better get a lot more Zidan/Remy content. or else

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Infidelity, Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Bullying, Body horror, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, War, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail

alphabetmafiamember's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

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

wilybooklover's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

This is not a perfect book by any means — the first third is a bit slow, a few words are misused, some of the twists were predictable and easy to guess, the ending was a little weak and rushed — but it was the perfect book for *me* and my reading mood when I picked it up. Violent, sexy, and a whole lot of fun, it felt like the perfect blend of fantasy and romance with both horror and historical elements. The take on vampires is refreshing without straying too far from tradition, and there's enough mystery, political intrigue, and suitably creepy monsters to keep things interesting. Remy could be a frustratingly oblivious protagonist at times, but he's such a dramatic disaster bi. I really loved reading the dynamics of this bisexual throuple; the romance is surprisingly soft and warm (maybe a bit instalove-y, but I don't even care). 

I am in DIRE need of the sequel though after that ending!! Also I wish we had the US cover in the UK, it's so much prettier. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, War, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Blood, Death, Drug use, Gore, and Sexual content

Moderate: Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Confinement, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Bullying, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Infidelity, Animal death, Classism, Pregnancy, and Adult/minor relationship

fifteenthjessica's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.0

Between his father's rivalry with the current leader of the vampire hunters and the rumors that his mother was turned by a vampire lover while pregnant with him, Remington Pendergast is not the most well-liked Reaper, even if he is now one of the most effective. Soon a job only he was willing to take brings him into the sights of Zidan Malekh and Xiaodon Song, the leader of the Third Court of vampires and the heiress of the Fourth Court, who are hoping to form an alliance between their courts and the human kingdom of Aluria that Remy hails from. And Aluria will need all the help it can get when a strange plague is turning its citizens into a horrifying variation of vampires. Will Remy's trip East with the alluring vampire couple stop this plague, reveal the truth about his mother, and help Remy get over his belief that he is unworthy of love?

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.

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Content Warnings

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

beepsies's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

First off, I loved the premise of this book! I'm here for vampires, for intrigue, for monsters, and science, and for a juicy bisexual triad! To say nothing of my penchant for a brooding hero learning what it's like to be Liked and Valued as a person! I found the plot entertaining and the writing to be enjoyable. 

However, this book took me ages to get through because I just didn't gel with the MC. I felt really good about him in the beginning -- he's been through a Lot, so it makes a lot of sense that he's deeply mistrustful. It makes a lot of sense that he doesn't know how to work in a team, that he doubts peoples intentions, that when a beautiful woman is sincere and kind to him that he latches onto her, and that he has a "one step forward, two steps back" kind of progression from time to time. He is, however, very stupid (bless him). 

I got frustrated with him failing over and over to put two and two together, to the point where I wondered how he managed to survive for so long in such a precarious environment. He seemed so capable when he was introduced -- damaged, sure, but skilled at his craft. As the story went on, though, I felt like he got more and more out of his depth to the point where when he's able to hold his own in a fight it came as a surprise to me.

That's a matter of personal taste, though, and I'd still recommend it to anybody hankering for a vampire story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Torture, Gore, Emotional abuse, Death, Chronic illness, Bullying, Blood, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Grief, and Trafficking

Minor: Xenophobia

Spoiler

The main character's father starts pimping him out against his will when he's very young in order to obtain information/maneuver politically around his personal nemesis. (I don't think an express age is given, but it's established that he was underage/too young to be in that situation.) It's not a /huge/ part of the book, and the acts are not explicit, but it, and the trauma around it, are discussed at some length, so that's something to be aware of if you are sensitive to that sort of content.

cheye13's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

An excellent series opener! A wonderful standalone story that still has me clawing for the next installment. This world is exciting and vibrant, and I find the politics enthralling. The characters and other moving pieces are fascinating. The romance was my perfect level of closed vs open door and still much steamier than I expected.

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.

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Content Warnings

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.

nerodyne's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It feels like it should have been right up my alley, but the writing felt far more like fanfiction than I care for in original work. I wasn't very compelled by the relationship between the main 3, it felt like there wasn't enough time to actually establish trust and care between them more than instant sexual attraction that get's resolved in a way I didn't find fulfilling. I found myself more interested in the mystery of the Rot and the murder conspiracy, but I was so underwhelmed by the reveal it almost didn't feel worth it. I also found the author relied far more on telling rather than showing, which is something I usually have a high tolerance for. All in all, I wouldn't say I necessarily disliked the book (though I wouldn't say I liked it either), but it didn't shatter my world like I was hoping it would. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Murder, Violence, Body horror, Death, Grief, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Medical content, and Dementia

ashlikes's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Death, Gore, Violence, War, Alcohol, Grief, Blood, Body horror, and Cursing

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Chronic illness, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Medical content

Minor: Pregnancy, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Police brutality, Vomit, and Pedophilia

takarakei's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!
Remy Pendergast comes from a long line of prominent vampire hunters, but doesn't fit in with the other Reapers. He discovers a new mutation of vampire/monster and becomes involved in a plot to discover their origin and how to put a stop before they overrun the humans. Remy encounters the vampire heiress Xiaodan Song, and her arrogant fiancé vampire lord Zidan Malekh, who unfortunately hold the key to the Rot causing these mutations. Remy begrudgingly agrees to return to their land to further the investigation, and he slowly begins to develop complicated feelings for them. He must decide whom he can trust, and whether he wants to open his heart to the vampires he's been told his whole life are the true monsters.

As someone who doesn't read a lot of horror, I'm not sure if this book is very indicative of the genre or not. Personally I didn't find it to be very "scary," although there is a lot of gore/blood (full TW included below). I thought it fell in line with a lot of general fantasy books with vampires/monsters etc. Silver Under Nightfall does a great job of blending fantasy with court politics, mystery, and romance. The worldbuilding is extremely lush and descriptive (my only critique was it was a bit hard to keep track of each vampire court and what their deal was towards the beginning). I honestly wasn't expecting the romance going into this book, but I really enjoyed the throuple dynamics. There is great tension build up with the romance between Remy and Xiaodan, and even more so between Remy and Zidan (I would call theirs enemies to lovers for sure). I do think those roles are written as fairly gender typical, and I look forward to seeing the men really break down those masculinity barriers in future books. 

Every time Remy, Xiodan and Zidan face off against these armies of mutated vampires or their enemy throughout the book, it seems to end a little too easily. I mean literally at once point the Vasiilik guy just literally walks away and I was like "what?". So I think in that way it made the main storyline drag a bit. I was surprised by the twist towards the end

Spoiler

Remy's mom

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Overall this was a really fun, steamy, adventurous read and I definitely look forward to the continuation of this series!

Spice: 4/5 🌶️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Infidelity, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, War, Adult/minor relationship, and Medical content

Minor: Pregnancy and Religious bigotry

Emotional Abuse: Abusive parent (MC's father) Adult/minor relationship: MC is involved with an older woman at age 15 (told as flashbacks)