Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Butcher & Blackbird: The Ruinous Love Trilogy, Book 1 by Brynne Weaver, Lucy Rivers

262 reviews

fairytalefootnotes's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-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

5.0

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Tropes, etc: Serial Killers, Competition, Friends to Lover, He Falls First, Boy Obsessed

POV: Dual, 1st Person

3rd Act Breakup?: Yes

Cliffhanger?: Yes

Song Association: Work Song by Hozier

Notable Quote: “We’re not normal people. We are monsters. But if we’re monsters, we’ll thrive in the dark. Together.”

The Praise: Butcher & Blackbird was the perfect blend of dark, funny, and sweet. The characters were well developed and easy to root for. Rowan was so sweet and down sooooo bad for Sloane. This is my second Brynne Weaver book and I loved it just as much as I loved Marrow.

The Critique: I don’t love when epilogues don’t focus on the book’s main couple. I wanted more of Sloane and Rowan!

Final Thoughts: Hilarious, sweet, sexy, and dark. I can’t wait to read about Lachlan and Lark!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse and Sexual assault

allisonkhenson's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

this was fun but I wish some elements were more fleshed out

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Cannibalism, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Stalking

megsssss_'s review against another edition

dark funny 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, and Death of parent

grace33's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Torture, and Blood

Moderate: Cannibalism and Stalking

Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

justinekorson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny 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

4.0

This was interesting. I didn't know anything about the book but a friend bought it for me so I thought I'd give it a read. It was a lot more fun than I was expecting and less gross. I can't say I'm a dark romance girly in the traditional sense because when most people talk about dark romance I feel like they're talking about all these bad things happening to the FMC by the MMC against her will. Like I'm all for the dark romance being like "oh he's a killer" "he's unhinged" "he's scary" but as long as he doesn't hurt the lead character then I'm cool with it! Like why are you trying to hurt the object of your affection? That should be the exception to the rule. BUT IDK THAT'S JUST ME. Either way, this was funny because the two of them were so unhinged but like functional??? In everyday life??? Which I guess is true for sociopaths but I also don't think sociopaths are capable of love so I don't know what to call them. The FBI apparently calls them vigilante's so I guess that??? But something Rowan said at the end about her evolving and not devolving like most people believe killers would do really got to me. Like I know this was fake but it was really stretching some truths here. 

REGARDLESS!!! Rowan and Sloane were really cute together and I enjoyed their banter. I'm really looking forward to reading about the rest of Rowan's brothers. Their stories are already kind of built up so I think they'll both really exciting too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

lea_lea's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

hanreadssbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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? No

4.5

i actually wasn’t going to read this because tiktok hype is annoying, but i did read it and i absolutely loved it. the pacing was off in some chapters, but i could overlook that in some chapters because of how well-written the characters were, not to mention their connection (off the charts). this was my first serial killer romance and as a dark romance lover, i think i’ve unlocked a new favourite trope. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture, Vomit, and Stalking

Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

jaynovara's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Child abuse and Pedophilia

boba_nbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional funny 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

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5

{ Before you get into this book, make sure you read the trigger warnings. }

Sloane and Rowan are both serial killers who take out criminals and predators who commit the most heinous crimes. Rowan comes up with the amazing idea to create a game for him and Sloane, where each year they are given a criminal's name and see who can kill them first. Little do they know, this game will lead the two dark souls to find commonality and an unbreakable bond.

I was somewhat uneasy going into this book because I'd only heard that it was DARK. And, it is. Are there gross moments that made me cringe? Yes. Is there torture and murder? Yes. Is it one of the most funny and heartwarming books I've read this year? Also yes. However, I'd say Butcher & Blackbird is first and foremost a romantic comedy where the two main characters just happen to be serial killers who kill the most horrendous criminals. 

If you've also only heard about the dark parts of this book and are intimidated by it, I'd urge you to give Butcher & Blackbird a chance. Plus, if you're an audiobook reader, definitely listen to this one. The dual narration is so good, and the banter just hits.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Cannibalism, and Murder

Moderate: Torture, Vomit, and Stalking

Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

cyberhavok's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement and Stalking

Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Death of parent