Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Rettentő ​gyönyörűség by Libba Bray

6 reviews

itsreirei's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

This book feels like The Craft set in the Victorian era. I see why some may dislike it but I personally quite enjoyed reading it. Curious to see where the story goes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Drug abuse, Medical content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

bekahzabel's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

4.5/5 🌟 I read this series in middle school and circled back to it in effort to re-explore some favorites as an adult. I’m so happy I started with this one, it felt like slipping back into a cozy familiar dark bedtime story. Libba Bray’s writing style is suitable for both YA and adults in this series. 

I noticed so much more allusion, foreshadowing, and hidden gems this second time around.

If you like:
Coming of Age Witches
Discovering & Developing Power
Found Family
Sisterhood
Dark Academia
Secrets & Plot Twists 

then this trilogy will hit the spot for you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Self harm, Grief, and Murder

ricksilva's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Sixteen-year-old Gemma Doyle witnesses the terrifying murder of her mother in colonial India, seemingly by supernatural forces. Back England and enrolled in a girls boarding school, Gemma discovers a diary of a former student who sought the secrets of an ancient Order of sorceresses, and the power of a dream-dimension called the Realms.

In spite of warnings to stay clear of these secrets, Gemma and three friends begin to explore their own magical potential, eventually finding their own way into the Realms in the hope of changing the fate that awaits them all back at their dreary school.

This story careens headlong toward tragedy with little effort on the part of any of the main characters to stop it, in spite every possible warning. 

The characters are definitely not always likeable, but they all do grow beyond their original simple impressions, and the character development helps keep things interesting and keeps the reader engaged even as terrible and obvious mistakes are made again and again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Self harm and Sexism

haleymaxinee's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Self harm, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Classism

celery's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism

danibanani's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I read this as a tween and loved it for the drama, the descriptions, the magic. I don't think it quite holds up, and not just for some of the problematic elements. I would love for things to make a bit more sense. Gemma should have put certain things together far earlier than she did given how intelligent we know her to be. What a melancholy ending this had! It really communicated the desperation of young women within the choking confines of patriarchy, thank gods that's not a problem anymore. 🫣😭
Despite its shortcomings, I was compelled to finish the reread, and mostly enjoyed it. Huzzah!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Fatphobia, Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Self harm, and Sexual harassment