Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Dead and the Dark

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould

17 reviews

frankiejo's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

I think it could have done with another edit—it sags a little in the middle, the characters "grimace" way too much, and at times the writing feels a little detached. however, these flaws are mostly made up for by the likeable (if everyman) leads, a setting so real it seems to breathe, and an intriguing mystery at its core, all topped off with a helping of lesbian romance. i enjoyed the foreshadowing as well.

I said "ohhh" out loud when i realised the implications of Logan's dreams of being buried alive

an enjoyable read

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spiritedfaraway's review against another edition

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mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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hannahrogers's review against another edition

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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? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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dalmavatai's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

This book really wasn't for me. I admit that it was a bit of a cover buy - the cover is so gorgeous, haunting and sapphic that I was immediately intrigued. The supernatural/ghost element was not really my thing but I didn't expect it to be, I thought it would be the relationships that really grip me. Sadly, that wasn't the case. The characters sounded promising in the beginning but we don't really get to know them more deeply as the story goes on. They aren't dynamic, and the relationships between them are not particularly interesting or meaningful. I was especially disappointed by the lack of chemistry between Logan and Ashley since I was expecting so much from this story in relation to the wlw aspect, but we don't really get much of their romance and the little that we do get is lacking in depth and connection. Some twists at the end were surprising but the way the story wrapped up was so unimaginably cheesy that it ultimately added to the long list of things I disliked about this book. The atmosphere was equally lacking, we don't really get too many genuinely spooky or atmospheric scenes. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book as it does not do justice to any of its themes or tropes, i.e. the atmospheric spookiness, the wlw rep, the meaningful relationships, or the dark twistiness.

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