Reviews with content warning for Gore - Amberlough

Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly

5 reviews

uncreativeoops's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Nothing like reading a spy thriller about the rise of nationalism in 2024.
The stakes went up really fast and there's a lot happening.

We get different perspectives from different sides on a corrupt law enforcement, a spy network trying to nudge an election into a different direction and then what is basically a coup complete with riots and destruction of the free art scene.

The characters were complex, their motives and actions understandable if sometimes frustrating and the relationships between them were one of my favourite parts. They are not exactly spelled out and you need to figure a lot out from context, but they fit the characters really well and are interesting in their flawedness. For once characters whose flaws have significant impact on the plot and provide actual hurdles! As frustrating as it was, it all fit the rest of their personalities and it's much more fun to watch a bunch of skilled but ultimately human characterd with so. Many. Issues. try to achieve things. Though these people cannot plan to save their lives (literally) and frankly had it coming.

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talonsontypewriters's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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mandkips's review

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adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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bisexualwentworth's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I enjoyed this book a lot! Most of the things I've been reading lately have been either YA or contemporary literary fiction, and this was a very welcome change from all of that.

I love reading about messy adults in fantasy settings, and Amberlough absolutely delivers on that front. The characters were engaging and complicated. Amberlough City was immersive and fascinating. I loved the 1930s vibes.

Amberlough is very much a story about tragic love in the context of a rising fascist regime—with an added dose of smuggling and cabaret performances. The main couple is enemies AND lovers simultaneously, so if that's something that interests you, I highly recommend reading this.

There were some points where I wanted more information about certain things, but since this is the first book in a trilogy, I'm not too worried about it. Overall, it was a super engaging read and a very impressive debut novel.

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octopus_farmer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I really liked it - she did a great job of balancing exposition with action, and every character was meaningful in their own way. I knew it was a trilogy, so I guess I should have expected how dark it would be at the end, but the physicality of it took me by surprise. I think I’d read the rest, given time.

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