Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

A Ship of Bones & Teeth by Karina Halle

6 reviews

booklifeisthelife's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

2.5

I finished A Ship of Bones & Teeth by Karina Halle. It's a standalone gothic dark fantasy pirate romance re-telling of The Little Mermaid. (They mention a sequel following other characters at the very end, go figure, but this one *can* be read as a standalone. ) I've been on a pirate kick lately. This one was alright, 2.5 stars. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad. However don't go in expecting what the synopsis says - a protagonist who is full of bloodlust and vengeance. It's there but not as strong as it leads you to believe which was a letdown. But I digress. The romance was alright. Major power unbalance which is mentioned in the tw list in the beginning of the book. The romance a bit too fast for me but wasn't horrible. I liked the fantasy elements even though I dearly wish for an adult pirate romance with no other elements. There was some interesting characters. I wasnt a fan of the love interest but he wasn't the worst. The ending made me happy with

her getting the best of both words and being reunited with Nill.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Sexual content

Moderate: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Sexual violence

Minor: Child death, Gore, and Suicidal thoughts

stardust_heidi's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious sad 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

3.5

Okay, here’s the deal. I really enjoyed the story. The characters were great. I really loved the

pirate vampires

— that was a fun twist on the pirate trope. 

The execution of the story especially the writing and word usage, however, left a lot to be desired. At times I felt like the author was trying too hard for it to be a pirate theme, and it was just…too much. It made the language feel stilted and unwieldy. At times, I was just like, pick one speech pattern and stick with it. I’m not sure if this author uses a professional editor or not, but it could have used it. 

The darker elements felt kind of awkward to me as well. I don’t know. It was fun, but I was overall fairly disappointed in the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Kidnapping, Death, Blood, Confinement, Grief, and Violence

Some non-con situations

taking blood/vampire feeding

; attempted rape

kkxmac's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Self harm, Torture, Cannibalism, Child death, Physical abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Rape, Sexual content, Blood, and Emotional abuse

angelamarcela2's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

3.0

I enjoyed this book- it is definitely a dark romantasy retelling of the Little Mermaid with a few twists. What drove me into wanting to read it was the supposed Pirates of the Caribbean vibes, which ultimately came from the location of the plot, the language, and the captain being a little “Jack Sparrow”-like. 

I wish there was a bit more emphasis or building on Marrens 10year gap in the story which we know was a large issue in her marriage with Aerik. But if that gap was worth her literally ending his life, I think it’s worth exploring in the novel!

The spice scenes were okay- they come off a little “rapey” in nature, but the author does issue a trigger warning for such. After all is it DARK romantasy. 

All in all I did enjoy the book- I think the author does a great job at bringing the reader to the location and writes with vivid imagery. The book was entertaining for me enough to get through in only a few days. Fans of this genre and pirates of the Caribbean will absolutely love this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Blood, Rape, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

millenialglowworm's review

adventurous dark emotional funny fast-paced

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

5.0

I’ve never read a mermaid or a pirate story before picking this up. I’m glad that Halle’s work was my first! I love the characters in this story and even though there is tragedy and horror elements, it was full of adventure and 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️!! I’m also glad Halle answered a question I had through out the book about the HOW of mermaid….relations 😅. Ramsey and Maren’s banter had me laughing. I’m usually not a reader who relishes on the setting of a book but Halle does a great job of describing the scenery and feeling of all the places the book takes place. Halle is definitely one of my favorite authors!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Gore, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping

Minor: Death of parent, Child death, and Confinement

prettynerdy3's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence