bbpettry's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
4.5
So I'm pretty new to the smut world, so I can't speak as an expert but this rocked my world. It's rough but restorative. Tan gives you characters in satisfying extremes. Our main vampire is deeply monstrous in the, "but she's so beautifully human" way that makes vampires genuinely chilling. Po Lam is the quintessential strong, quiet Butch. Gean Choo is the sweet street urchin coming of age in a hard world with a soft, soft heart that completes the triangle and sets it aflame. Without the full structural exposition of high fantasy, the world that these characters traverse is well fleshed out with other folkloric creatures and delicious descriptions of clothes and environs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Confinement, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Suicide, Gore, Sexual violence, Violence, Physical abuse, and Death
flygirl_01's review against another edition
5.0
Note: please make sure to read the content warnings, as this book definitely has horrific content. I personally found some of the content warnings disturbing (though none of them were personal triggers for me), so I think that reading the content warnings is a must if you want to make an informed decision about reading this book. http://lianyutan.com/content-warnings/#wicked
This book was a delightfully dark read. I really enjoyed getting to immerse myself into the historical Singapore setting, especially since I haven't read many books that take place in Singapore. I also enjoyed getting to learn more about the vampires and their society in this novel. My favorite characters were Po Lam and Mrs. Edevane (when she wasn't hurting Gean Choo), although I definitely felt bad for Gean Choo.
I enjoyed being able to choose the ending of the book, as I haven't read many books that allow for me to do this. I'm personally a fan of the Po Lam and Gean Choo relationship, as I don't think Gean Choo deserves Mrs. Edevane's, or Verity's treatment of her. This means that I enjoyed the Save Po Lam ending. The only happy ending is the Save Po Lam ending, as the Save Mrs. Edevane and Save Yourself (Gean Choo) endings are horror ones. The Save Yourself ending is available if you subscribe to Lianyu Tan's newsletter.
I recommend reading this book if you like novels with horror, vampires, historical fiction, and/or dysfunctional/abusive relationships. The author does a phenomenal job of making sure that you're immersed into the book's setting. I also enjoy the fact that all three important characters are on the cover.
Disclaimer: I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this eARC has not impacted my review of this novel.
This book was a delightfully dark read. I really enjoyed getting to immerse myself into the historical Singapore setting, especially since I haven't read many books that take place in Singapore. I also enjoyed getting to learn more about the vampires and their society in this novel. My favorite characters were Po Lam and Mrs. Edevane (when she wasn't hurting Gean Choo), although I definitely felt bad for Gean Choo.
I enjoyed being able to choose the ending of the book, as I haven't read many books that allow for me to do this. I'm personally a fan of the Po Lam and Gean Choo relationship, as I don't think Gean Choo deserves Mrs. Edevane's, or Verity's treatment of her. This means that I enjoyed the Save Po Lam ending. The only happy ending is the Save Po Lam ending, as the Save Mrs. Edevane and Save Yourself (Gean Choo) endings are horror ones. The Save Yourself ending is available if you subscribe to Lianyu Tan's newsletter.
I recommend reading this book if you like novels with horror, vampires, historical fiction, and/or dysfunctional/abusive relationships. The author does a phenomenal job of making sure that you're immersed into the book's setting. I also enjoy the fact that all three important characters are on the cover.
Disclaimer: I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this eARC has not impacted my review of this novel.
pineapple_queen's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
readsbymoonlight's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Torture, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual content, Suicide, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence
Minor: Pedophilia, Child abuse, Classism, and Drug use
majorrogue's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
arnastorm's review against another edition
5.0
A lesbian dark romance. I loved reading this, some of the scenes were too hardcore for me, however it is captivating and I am so happy I came across this author and ordered the book. 5/5
readwithbells's review against another edition
I feel like Lianyu Tan wrote a historical fiction paranormal book and someone told her no one would read it without a lot of sex so it became a mediocre dark romance. It’s more dark than it is romance, the romance itself isn’t fun because no one is enjoying themselves (Verity literally can’t even experience sexual pleasure), and the main character loses her entire sense of self before the halfway mark and not for plot! She just becomes vapid, a little stupid, and very passive where she opens with so much depth and intellect. It’s so weird because the setting of Singapore in the 20s is incredibly rich and the vampire lore feels unique and well thought out. I was so engaged in the first half and it really fell off, idk I just don’t care how it ends and the sex isn’t sexy enough to carry me through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Rape
Moderate: Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
alexture's review against another edition
The plot was so slow, and yet the relationship between characters felt rushed. It exhausted me.
kneec's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book was darker than my usual. I admittedly skimmed some of the rape and assault scene because wow. Heed those trigger warnings.