Reviews

Dark Heaven by JUNS

tsubasanyan's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

irmamari's review

4.25

I be making fun fun of fae porn and Colleen hover meanwhile I read this when I was 16💀💀 fr tho I forgot like the entire plot but zaaaamn this is proof that crazy straight girls really have the hots for gay guys 💀💀💀 also I love how they’ve been broken up for half a year and they already be crumbling and perishing without each other. 
7years later and I still get goosebumps when I read the speech Connor did in front of the mob. 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA they really experienced childlike wonders together as kids AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO IN THE FUTURE 😭😭😭😭😭😭
get u a man that looks up to the moon and thinks of you 😭😭

marureviere's review

5.0

My favorite BL manhwa EVER alongside King's Maker.

I can never quite write a proper review of my favorites since I feel like I don't give them enough justice.

marinsmar's review

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

5.0

dianelysn's review

5.0

5 stars for nostalgia purposes 
4.5 stars for a reread <3

noiramx's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

4.5

nezha's review

5.0

this hurt so good. took me on a wild ride of emotions: sadness, anger, frustration, disgust, dread, and thankfully, happiness. quickly became a favorite and will stick with me for a very long time

imanewreader's review

5.0

Wow. it is really not what I expected it to be. And I more than pleased about it.

I thought it was going to be a long manhwa about sex, lust and drugs.. -That is why I decided not to read it. Even though I heard about it since the first chapter was published.-
This story is actually about love, support, friends and survival in a homophobic and xenophobic society. One of the main character is Asian AND gay. Yep, he's pretty screwed in that society right ? Well, he'll work his way into it and try his best to just live and stay alive. There's also his boyfriend. The perfect, talented, cute and blonde hair blue-eyes boyfriend..

Anyway, I don't want to spoil anyone but : the story is totally worth your time, cries, anger, hope, joy and angst.
However, I would to warn you about a lot of things in this story. There are lots of triggers such as : rape, bullying, torture, murder, dementia, paedophilia, xenophobia, and homophobia.

crossinthepnw's review

5.0

Did not know what to expect when I began reading this manwha, but I was quickly sucked in and it made for one hell of a rollercoaster ride. Homophobia, racism, xenophobia, gang violence, human rights, mental illness, rape, abuse, etc., are all touched on in very meaningful ways throughout the story, which makes it incredible, but this can also be very triggering for some readers (proceed with caution). With that being said, it is heavy - I read it within a couple of days but I can't tell you the amount of times I silently said "NOOO" to myself, and/or felt the tears welling in my eyes. However, it is a fantastic read, and will definitely get you to think about how these issues are being delt with in the real world. There is smut (duh, it's BL), but it fits in well with the overarching story and you can't help but cheer for the two main characters. I will be reading this one again.

sweetpea's review

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

3.75

This was my 1st proper reading of Yaoi. The subject matter was compelling and I tore through all 80 or so chapters in a day and a half. Being unfamiliar with BL/yaoi I (superficially) expected the plot to be relatively thin, but I was really intrigued that an author thought to tackle subjects like religion, homophobia and racism. This was not always done well/responsibly, but there was real effort put into fleshing out the main characters. Some of the dialogue and scenarios were a little trite or just too surface for me.

I wish Simon's drug addiction and Kiev and Connor's relationship was explored more.

  Also, many of the supporting characters were a bit flat. 

I loved that the main characters are adults, interracial, and not a dom/sub pairing that I assumed typified BL works.  I was so intrigued I started the spinoff, Guardians of the Lamb! I really think the author is hitting her stride here and it seems much more fleshed out than DH

They retconned a character I found completely reprehensible even knowing his tragic backstory

I'm truly a fan of JUNS now. Nothing has really grabbed my attention like this in a while. Excited to see where she goes next and hope to find similar works!

  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Violence, and Xenophobia