Reviews tagging 'Murder'

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

54 reviews

jessicabearbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious relaxing tense slow-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

4.0

“As far as I can tell there are only two emotions that keep the world spinning year after year...One is fear. The other is desire.”

Wow. This book has such a rich story and so many plot twists! When I started this I was not ready for the level of emotional attachment I would form to this story and these characters, maybe it's because the story was so long and I spent so much time with this family but I adored it.

Every main character was well developed and believeable. It was easy to love them, especially Ysabeau who honestly holds my heart; her developing relationship with Diana is so sweet. Matthew was a little toxic at times in his reactions and mindset but I don't really feel like this is an issue as he's a Vampire with heightened protective instincts so what do you expect.

The last couple of chapters were so wholesome, I want to be a part of this new family. I was not prepared for the genius comedy in this book because GIRL I was rolling at points haha. Also this story is just a really cool concept? The Knights of Lazarus...damn. 

Excited to read the next one but need a break first lol - I'll be real, this book felt as long as it looked. Took me a whole month but when I was reading I thoroughly enjoyed the escapism. This whole series has huge cosy autumnal vibes, I reckon that's why it took me so long to get through because It felt too weird reading about a spooky vampire house while I was getting sunburnt. Also definitely read this series while listening to classical music, the vibes are unmatched.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Blood

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

kirjakimalainen's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring mysterious slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Stalking

Minor: Ableism

pewterwolf's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-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

3.75

At the time of writing this, this would be my fourth time reading this (though I have only read the series through once), and while I am a fan of this world and the characters, there are little things that irritated me (pacing, when important information is shared to the reader [and this is a very detail-heavy book], a tad insta-love for my taste). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Death of parent and War

gillian_aftanas's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Child death, Cursing, Infertility, Misogyny, and Sexual content

kimberlina82's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective 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

Absolute perfection!  From beginning to end! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

dizzyappealam's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

He is super possessive, but it was kind of cool and cute. Suprisingly wholesome ending. Will read the next book. Mystery is eh. I hope it gets better later. Was a cozy dark academia vibe.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and War

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

I was expecting a fast-paced, plot-focused fantasy novel. What I got was a very cozy paranormal romance. This book was filled with so many scenes of dining together, going for long walks,  family bonding, and dark academia (my favourite). I wasn’t a fan of the insta-love & slow burn, which I’m hoping will ramp up more in the next book, which I do plan to read. Overall, a nice read that I’d recommend to anyone who likes cozy fantasy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

joey_paige's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death and Death of parent

Minor: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, Stalking, and Abandonment

vilde_a's review against another edition

adventurous 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

5.0

Absolutely devoured this book! It’s  definitely twilight for adults, but infinitely better written. The descriptions are just lovely and so detailed. If you enjoy fantasy, I would definitely recommend this. Even if you’ve seen the tv show, I would read this. 
The Norwegian translation seems good as well. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, and Murder

laurenleigh's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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

I unknowingly sat behind this author at a Leigh Bardugo book signing! Thank goodness Leigh posted a pic of them together with a tag so I could discover this book. I love me some witches, demons, and vampires, oh my! My favorite aspect is the scholarly slant. Our main characters are professors and researchers, and Harkness has clearly done a ton of research herself. I loved the depth and complexity this gave to the story! I hesitated when I saw it compared to Outlander(ew), but I see they have a similar episodic story structure. I sometimes struggle when a love connection turns so deep so fast, but who am I to argue with some star-crossed lovers? Definitely recommend you give this a chance if you like magical fantasy and adventure!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Medical content, Death of parent, and Murder