Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole

5 reviews

thebookshelfblossom's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.25

I enjoyed this so much! The narrator was fantastic. I usually prefer multiple POVs, so I was worried I was going to get bored with just one, but I was far from bored. 

I got sucked in quickly and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Diem is a flawed character, but one you root for. You know that in her heart she just wants to do the right thing, but she learns quickly that in life there is no easy solution. 

There are real, high stakes. You feel her rage and desperation, alongside with her genuine compassion and empathy for those around her. She is trapped in a system, and seeing her seek a way to break free is as frustrating as it is exhilarating. 

The ending absolutely had me on the edge of my seat, ready to jump right into book 2. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions and I’m excited to see where Diem’s story leads. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, and Murder

howboutjane's review against another edition

adventurous medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

This was really good! More focused on fantasy than romance so it's not a spicy one - although the romance is still good with a healthy amount of tension and steam. Strong FMC but reckless. This story really sees her grow and struggle with trying to find her path in life. Interesting world and political dynamics. Morally grey everywhere. Solid plot, however, I did find it a bit predictable. There's a lot of repetition and the foreshadowing is more direct than I think was intended, making it feel a bit like telling and overexplanation. Overall though, a great read! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gore, Sexual content, and Violence

Minor: Child death and War

sandse2's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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

3.25

Good setup for a series but needed more character development. Particularly between characters. The love interests were weakly incorporated and the main character was brash and obnoxious. I wish she would have been developed more in terms of her intelligence. But the storyline is good and I will be reading the second book in the series. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

hapalyn's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

4 stars

The world is interesting, and I find it to be very intriguing. I like the way the land is, and I think there's a lot more than meets the eye with this series. That being said, it wasn't a 5 star purely because of the STRESS I was stressing while reading. Personal preference, I just like less of the angst there, but I will continue reading. 

Also Henri is so insufferable, and I can't stand him. Diem is an amazing character, yet she's so easily persuaded, which I hope to see her grow out of. Rooting for her and Luther.. but also Teller and Lily. Something tells me though that there's going to be a long, slow burn for our main heroine. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Death of parent and War

soniajoy98's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Minor: Incest, Mental illness, Abortion, and Pregnancy