Reviews

In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland

alicesbookrecs's review against another edition

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3.0

- First pov
- Queer
- Standalone
- Death magic
- Blood magic
- Found family
- Revenants (basically vampires)
- Polyamory

In The Ravenous Dark is a deliciously dark queer fantasy.

The queer rep in The Ravenous Dark is amazing- we star a pansexual MC, a lesbian love interest, and a non-binary asexual side character, which all come together in a polyamorous relationship (and we have more queer side characters!).

We also have the found family troupe which is a predominant theme in the book, and which is a personal favourite of mine.

However, there were aspects of the book which just weren’t for me. Despite enjoying the overall plot, the first person pov in this just didn’t work for me (mostly because I’m not overly fond of it anyway), and the MC isn’t one that I liked that much - her characterisation felt a bit flat, and her reasoning and affection a bit whimsical.

arinreads's review against another edition

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i love sonya who i was buddy reading this with but i hate my life more and this book is making it harder

dnf @ 19%
again, i love sonya

melodymarrshmallow's review against another edition

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Didn’t peak my interest

quartzreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

justmeareader's review against another edition

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3.0

I was really into up until they killed Rovan's father, but everything went downhill from there. The magic system is confusing, the romances are really boring. I couldn't tell you a character trait of either love interest. Rovan and Jaffa (I think that's how you spell it, I read the audiobook so idk) were the only characters that had personalities. Overall I was pretty annoyed at the characters most of the book and the ending didn't make any sense. I was hoping for more court politics and for a while I was sure Lydia was going to be evil but unfortunately not. Just overall not that enjoyable but better than 2 stars.

alix0zz's review against another edition

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Boring, did not care for any of the characters. 

kglenn25's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

valericks24's review against another edition

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fast-paced

5.0

rain_london1's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

jmross10's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.0

I picked up this book quite a while ago as it was recommended for asexual representation reads but then it just sat on my shelf. 

Now that I read it I’m a bit sad I waited so long but also glad, because I don’t think I could’ve fully appreciated the overall relationship dynamic as well as I can now. Despite this wonderfully accepting and loving dynamic, the book wasn’t all about romantic relationships and I really loved that. 

I found the plot to be very interesting. I liked the world building and how all the pieces came together over time. I thought the author did a great job of balancing the “action” so it didn’t feel heavier on one end of the book than the other. 

It was a little bit long in my opinion, though I’m not sure I could pinpoint what I thought could have been removed. For the most part the page count is utilized pretty well and it’s likely just a matter of pacing that’s making me feel that way.

One of the best things about this for me is it’s a standalone. I felt like I got a full and fulfilling story without having to commit myself to 3+ 500 page books.