Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Bloed

Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Bloed by Holly Black

50 reviews

star101's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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sidnilayne's review against another edition

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DNF @ 71%

I honestly was really hating this book from the start, but because it's HB, I wanted to read it. By 50%, I was having such a hard time staying connected. The cheating, running away, homelessness, and active drug addiction left a bad taste in my mouth and I could not figure out what this had to do with Tithe. If this was one of the first HB books I had ever read, I probably would have never picked up another one of her books ever again, and that really sucks because her other books are phenomenal and she is one of my favorite authors.

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wintert_ide's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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eli_ross's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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rachelgreenreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Valiant by Holly Black

I won’t lie, this was a challenging read. Holly Black is pushing at the very edges of darkness and cruelty with this series, and she does it well. I felt every dark and twisty thing I was supposed to, even down to the numbness and delirium that accompanied Val’s withdrawals.

I adored Ravus, and my only complaint was that we didn’t get more of him. These books are very character-driven, but focus heavily on the main characters, and we only really see the other characters through their eyes. This is very effective, but I just couldn’t get enough of sweet alchemist Ravus!

I will say that sometimes Holly Black’s dialogue can be dubious, and I found the dialogue in this book to contain a lot of non-sequiturs, and to otherwise be obfuscating. Sometimes this is in service to the overall mysterious atmosphere, but sometimes just didn’t make sense.

If you’re looking for something very dark and twist, with a heaping of teen girl rage, this is definitely for you.

4/5⭐️

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juliesleseecke's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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ceruleanshelves's review against another edition

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4.5

“I like all the things that make you monstrous.”

this feels a bit separate from book 1 even though it's set in the same world and location, but i didn't mind.

this one definitely pops off from the start and holly leans into some darker subject material for a YA book (SA, drug abuse, homelessness).

a faerie fever dream murder mystery set in the concrete jungle of new york city, runaway Val finds herself living on the street w newfound friends who've gotten themselves wrapped up the solitary fae. like tithe, this was grittier than tfota/tsh and i rather enjoyed the urban fantasy setting of it being almost entirely in nyc rather than in elfhame.

kaye and roiben have a brief appearance, but val takes the mainstage in this one and as a protagonist, i enjoyed watching her journey.

there is a romance that is v subplot and subtle in holly's typical way, but i found it very romantic by the end.

love val though, shoutout for her headshave catatonia a la britney spears

“I would remain nearer you for what time there is."
"Gone in one faerie sigh," she quoted.
Leather-clad fingers brushed over her short hair, rested on her cheek. "I can hold my breath.”

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mythian's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

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sarahfrances52's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

The second book in the Modern Faerie Tales Series has similar problems to the first (Tithe). I think my struggle with this series is that I have such a clear understanding of the politics of the High Court of Elfhame from The Folk of the Air series, that I am struggling with the lack of detail about the drama between the lower courts that this series focuses on. I wish these books were a little longer and went into more of the Faerie politics that mortals like Val and Luis are stepping into. All that being said, I did enjoy Val’s story arc and I’m excited to see how the series continues in Ironside.

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laniessmith's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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