Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Иоганн Кабал, некромант by Jonathan L. Howard, Джонатан Л. Говард, Надежда Алексеева

5 reviews

cursedepub's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"Charmingly gothic, fiendishly funny" is RIGHT! I admit I picked this book up because it has all the things I love in a story - motifs of death and the occult, morally dubious characters with difficult personalities, and a morbid, incisive, diabolical wit. Happy to report it did not disappoint! I laughed out loud at many points and was extremely invested in the battle for Johannes' soul as enacted on various levels throughout the plot. I especially liked how different facets of Johannes’ personality were revealed chapter by chapter, especially as he is played off his brother Horst, and our impression of him fluctuates as he is built up and brought down by the narrative. 

I will say the reveal of Johannes' motivation to become a necromancer at the end does come off dated and cliche in 2024, as does the overall depiction of women in the story - the book's women characters are mostly representative of typical archetypes viewed through the male gaze (femme fatale, ingenue, damsel in distress,
fridged girlfriend,
etc.), and are used by the narrative mainly to prop up and support male characters' arcs. 

Still, an overall highly enjoyable, witty, and deftly crafted novel - although it may not be to everyone's taste, even with the sexism aside. This was definitely my most fun read so far this year.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

inkwellimps's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A very enjoyable read! Early in the book, I found myself wanting to compare it to what I remember of A Series of Unfortunate Events (although admittedly I haven't read that series in over a decade). I found myself quite endeared to Johannes Cabal and his brother. I began the book laughing at him and found myself empathizing with him at many points throughout the book. I will be reading the sequel.

For cons, I'm not sure if the ending (or the whole final arc, really) is satisfying to me or not. Also, the audiobook version has a reanimated corpse underling that sounds, to my ears at least, like Christopher Cazenove doing an impersonation of Rochester from the Jack Benny Show. I'm not sure if that's in poor taste or not.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

janieboucher's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

erton's review against another edition

Go to review page

Couldn't stop thinking about when the author had to proclaim "not all men" during a domestic violence plot line. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

abigailanna's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...