Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Master of Salt & Bones by Keri Lake

26 reviews

readbyjaimes's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Really didn't feel the romance

I enjoyed the setting quite a bit. That's what usually draws me to gothic works, they have such rich, lush, and atmospheric settings that just draw you into the world, and therefore the story. This one was no exception, but I found the romance quite lacking. I just didn't see their bond grow whatsoever. Sure he confided in her, but I didn't see the unshakeable, unbreakable bond of soulmates like I was expecting and that was really disappointing. But I'm definitely willing to try the author's other works. 

Also, this is definitely a dead dove do not eat situation, so for a full list of triggers pleaseee go to the author's website. I'm sure I wasn't completely thorough in my list here 🫶

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Torture, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Rape

doahdancer's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

3.75

I read Nocticadia first and found this one to be disappointing in comparison.

This book suffered from slowness in the upfront build, but it did have a good payoff. My first critique is some of the reveals were obvious, despite their resolutions being quite satisfying.

Overall, I was surprised at how gruesome this one was and I'm not sure I'm content with the write-off on the MMCs involvement in some of the darker elements that were introduced. Not sure there was a better way forward without overpowering his character further, but at least the FMC's acceptance of his reasons for staying involved needed to be developed more.

I loved the gothic feel and the mystery that wound its way around their fated romance. If you can handle some loose ends remaining at the end, this is a great choice for someone craving a dark, romantic mystery/thriller.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Rape

johnayismyname's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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: Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Suicide, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

ladykristianna's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

foxgame's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

So I’m in a FaRo FB group. Some recommendations have been brilliant. Some have scared me.  In this book i read the following 

“Giulia is accommodating, indulging in whatever I ask, but what I need is something that would turn her stomach.”

And it was at this point that I knew it was going to be one of those books (more 😳 than 🌶️). 
However moving past the 😳 moments, this book had gothic overtones and I had to keep reading to find out what happened to his wife and child, even though we all could guess. I liked the writing with some action, some good guys and some real nasty guys. 

Recommended for those who enjoy a Mr Rochester with a side serve of nazi genetic sadistic BDSM research.

Can’t give it a 🌶️ level because past book recommendations with low 🌶️ have shown I’m living a sheltered life. But will opt for a 😳😳😳 out of 5.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

steffy10816's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

Starting this I wasn't sure how I felt about it. There was a lot of back and forth between the past and present. Which sometimes is hard for me to follow. That being said, once this book picked up and more started happening I became obsessed! 

There were a lot of twists and turns, some I predicted and some I didn't. I love when I don't predict something because that means the author kept me guessing. The ended was great and I definitely want more!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Self harm, and Torture

chanelreads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, and Suicide attempt

_terah_hansen_'s review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Dementia, and Murder

that_casshole's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

Please heed the content warnings. It was very predictable and followed the typical dark romance plot lines. Which is fine IF you have a good plot. The idea for the plot was there, but it was horribly predictable. I guessed about 95% of the “big reveals” about a quarter into the book. The spicy scenes got boring fast. If you’ve got some time, it’s a fine read, but if your tbr looks like mine, wait on this one. I definitely had to make myself keep reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, and Stalking

Minor: Gaslighting

ewindtberg's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I really enjoyed this book. The gothic romance style in which it was written (with a beauty and the beast/phantom of the opera feel), the spice was on point, even when the MCs made dumb decisions sometimes you still connected with them and felt for them, and there were twists and turns that I didn’t expect (and some that I did). All in all this was a great read and I liked it so much I made my bookclub read it for October lol also, the way it ends leaves it open to a possible second book with I hope the author strongly considers as some things were left as lose ends. I would LOVE for this to be a duology.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail