Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco

10 reviews

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

analenegrace's review against another edition

adventurous funny slow-paced

• 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

Vampires are not a genre I usually read, and I was intrigued to read this as I haven't read many polyam books. I liked the characters' relationship in this more than other polyam books I've read recently, and I look forward to the sequel. The world-building and action were fun, although at times, I got bogged down by the sheer amount of information being told to the reader. I saw the twist coming, and I have to admit, I was hoping I was wrong, but I'm still interested in seeing where the story is going to go. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, War, Cursing, Grief, and Stalking

ruthlessreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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

4.0

Did you love the Netflix Castlevania show and wish for more between Alucard, Trevor, and Sophia? Do you hate “love triangles” that aren’t true triangles? Do you also love bloody, brilliant fight scenes? Then you’re in luck! This novel will for sure satisfy that itch. I loved every moment of this fantasy adventure and would read a whole series about the 3 main characters—I hope there’s more coming! Some of the writing was a bit clunky but I chalk that up to English not being Chupeco’s native language, paired with a potentially inexperienced editor. Those instance did pull me out of the narrative a bit but, as a whole, it didn’t affect how much I enjoyed the story & characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Body horror, Drug use, Medical content, Blood, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Gaslighting, Grief, Animal death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Biphobia, and Death of parent

Minor: War

growplantsreadbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

I knew I'd love this when I heard it described as "Castlevania, but they all kiss" and oh goodness they did a lot more than kiss. 
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 place

came a bit late in the plot because instead of enjoying their happiness I just kept thinking, aren't there more important things to be doing right now? Like a prude! I just think the pacing would be better if it happened in the first 40% and not the last 40% of he book.  
The 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 lol

 
Anyway, 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.

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Content Warnings

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

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

lbelow's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

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 character

Spoiler

is cured by nefarious means

but as he is a villain, this didn't bother me (as a disabled person) the way it would normally.

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

zarhara's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.5

Reads like fanfiction. And yes, that's a compliment

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Sexual content, Blood, War, Death of parent, Gore, and Violence

Minor: Cursing, Animal death, Medical content, Alcohol, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Child death, Child abuse, and Gaslighting

ridesthesun's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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

4.5

GODDDD I did not know I needed this book in my life but Let Me Tell You i needed this book in my life. vampire royal couple adopts local vampire hunter himbo in an effort to get him to have some self-worth. and also to fuck him. flawless iconic no notes 👌👌 The character work was so beautifully intentional, and I really appreciate how complex all the characters are; no one is ever doing anything for one simple reason, and they're all bringing their own private motivations and histories to the table. It makes for a really well rounded cast of characters.

I'm a weenie so I skimmed some of the more gory sections, but this was such a fun story, and I'm really looking forward to the sequel!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Violence, War, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, and Child abuse

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