Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht

13 reviews

theowinterwood's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.25

Giving a lot of points for style here, but I figure it's warranted. I think overall the main flaw is it could have been at least 20% longer and given itself more breathing room, especially in the final act, where things played out a little too fast to sustain the tension and dread the stakes should have at that point. If what's coming is going to be unavoidable (and it should be), let us sit in the dread of watching it come a little longer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Self harm, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent

spadedigsbutts's review

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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Incest, Xenophobia, and Classism

bea_reads_books's review

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Ugh this really hit the spot for me. My absolute favorite kind of deliciously fucked up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Sexism, and Grief

Minor: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Medical content, and Stalking

tinyjude's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

From the get go I fell in love with the atmosphere the author transports us into. The gothic vibes, the gorey and unhinged characters, the gruesome and fatally flawed (aka toxic) situations situasionship these two has going on. It reminded me of Bloodborne or Dishonored in some aspects, either by the vibes and monstruousity in it all, or the revenge at all costs plotline. I loved the writing too, hollow and haunting, full of imagery that surely clicks much better on a second read. The descriptions of the characters and the mythical aspect of the city, with us as spectators rooted in the city yet still watching everything unfold from a deep mist that clouds our perceptions in the same way the sorcerer manipulates everyone here. The idea of a master-monster also reminded me a lot of Frankenstein, although both stories differ in a lot of aspects. Nonetheless, I believe it's a gritty novella perfect for when you are in the mood to read dark, gory, stuff like for Halloween, and be left wondering about the world a little bit (a sense of acrid lingering that follows you around like the shadow of Elendhaven.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Self harm, Torture, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Incest

tey_lynn's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

thelittle_seokmin's review

dark funny fast-paced

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

4.25

I had a lot of fun with this!! Love a dark atmosphere and Giesbrecht does s0 damn well delivering this. Obsessed with the writing!! ☆▪︎☆ (chapter one could've been a short story in of itself o0Ooo0 it's so good~)

I just could've done with more from it? Like i even more depth to the characters, even more explaination of what Florian's goal was. And I need closure in an ending which this didn't really give. It is a bit rushed and a bit too vague. Add a hundred or more pages for more greatness and this probably would've ended up as a fave. ♡♡♡

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Genocide, and Stalking

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Incest, Excrement, Grief, and Alcohol

junisreading's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

10/10 dark fantasy gory horror vibes, and Johann? Love of my life, giver of the best pet names and insults, my favourite horny bastard.

Florian...

Well, that was a very stupid way to die.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Self harm and Grief

lh_reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

I listened to the audiobook and I think I might need reread of the physical later. Otherwise this book was pure chaos and I weirdly loved it. I enjoy character driven books more than the next person and this put me on a rollercoaster. I really was intrigued by the mcs dynamic even though how horrible they were. I wish it was longer though, I feel it could be fleshed out more if a novel and not novella 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

vigil's review

dark emotional funny tense slow-paced

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

3.75

the venn diagram of comedy and horror is a circle.

the plot is mostly straightforward until you reach the ending where things get murky.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

river24's review

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

5/5
Where do I even begin? This is the most beautiful, well-written book that I've ever read. The writing is magical, every single line holds so much depth and emotion. I loved every single aspect of this book!
It's dark and bloody and so, so incredible. The relationship between the two main characters had me screaming in this venomous glee. It was–for lack of a better word–gloriously fucked up. Their relationship teetered precariously over the cliffside, swaying back and forth between the firmness of the crumbling soil and the black waters below. I cannot describe with words how perfect this book was. The relationship also reminded me a lot of the relationship between Hannibal and Will in the Hannibal TV show.
This book delves into a shadowed city with a vengeance at its heart and a monster on its heels. I always adore when books explore what it means to be a monster and what it means to be human, this book did so flawlessly in a non-explicit way.
Queer horror as a genre is something I always love and always come back to, please give me recommendations if you have any !! This book was everything and is something that I'll be recommending forever–I will not be forgetting about this book anytime soon!
I always stand by the fact that magic is a metaphor for queerness and I think that the horror genre often holds its own unique spin on queerness in its bloody jaws and both of those factors I am in awe of every single time.
This is quite a short book therefore this review doesn't go into immense detail because I don't want to spoil it, but trust me this book is worth your blood, sweat, tears and more.
Some of my favourite quotes were; 'Don't you feel it, sometimes? As if the world wants to consume itself.' 'Magic is not in the brain, miss; it is in the bones.' 'Thin ice isn’t a problem for the sea; it’s a problem for the blind idiot who steps out on it.'

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Self harm, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol