Reviews tagging 'Grief'

A Touch of Malice by Scarlett St. Clair

32 reviews

raiderqueen23's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child death, Grief, and Car accident

jojomar's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

This book was a journey. Persephone and Hades go through so much and grow closer through all of it. Both characters are faced with both personal and family drama. There’s love, humour, grief, and rage. SSC really captures how these characters feel and how their interactions effect not only themselves but everyone around them. And that ending, killed me! Overall it’s another great addition to the PersephonexHades series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Torture

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and Grief

karambit's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Misogyny, Self harm, and War

Minor: Ableism, Infidelity, Vomit, and Pregnancy

forgottencupoftea's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

2.0

The author does herself a disservice with her many spelling/grammar mistakes and typos. One here and there is fine. But they're everywhere. It actually made the book painful to read, in the sense that I was at times more worried about understanding the writing than focusing on the plot. 

Talking about the plot. It does in fact exist, but it is - more often than not - pushed to the background in favour of numerous useless sex scenes. I wish we got more worldbuilding, I barely understand the world the action is set in. I wish we got more conversations between characters, and not just Hades and Persephone (though that'd be nice). Give me more of Persephone's group of female friends, of Hermes and Persephone hanging out, of Persephone and Apollo talking. Tell me exactly what's going on with Triad, the Olympians, Demeter going crazy. Show me Persephone researching, making plans to solve the problems. I know that Hades and Persephone like to fuck. I know sex is their thing. I do not need to read a sex scene every two pages. Too many of those do not bring anything to the plot. Sacrifice a bunch of them in favour of more plot!!!

Hades and Persephone barely communicate, yet we're supposed to believe that they deeply care and love one another. Their whole relationship feels rushed and seems to have very fragile, almost inexistent, foundations. Persephone does make an effort to be more open about her enterprises with Hades, which is something he asked of her, but she doesn't seem to be getting much in return. We, readers and Persephone, know next to nothing about Hades and it bothers me to no end.

The only reason I'm writing this review is because I am honestly quite disappointed. The main idea behind this book series is such an interesting take on Greek mythology/gods but it's rather poorly executed. And it could easily be better. All it would take, in my opinion, is a good editor.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Torture, Blood, and Grief

Minor: Death

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol

Minor: Gore, Rape, Suicide, Blood, and Vomit

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

While I still love the characters and the world St. Clair built, the story arc was missing for me in this one. I love Hades and Persephone together and on their own, but it just seemed like everything that happened in the last 10-15 chapters could’ve happened way sooner. Persephone especially seems not to do anything (other than have sex with Hades) for 80% of the story. She slacks on her training, she slacks with her work, she slacks in her personal relationships. I hate when people lose themselves in their relationships in real life and I hate it in this book too. Although I’m still looking forward to book 4, I’m glad that it’s going to be awhile before it comes out so I can have a bit of a reprieve from the disappointments of this magical series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

kinsportch's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Child death, Confinement, and Stalking

j_emerson18's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.75

God I love this series. So so much. I'm normally a romance person but St. Clair did so wonderfully with this series. I can't wait until 2023 for the next book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Violence

Moderate: Death, Torture, Blood, and Grief

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

I love all of the dimensions given the characters. The way the author has gone through all of the mythology we have for the Greek gods and has woven then together to make it cohesive and understandable it phenomenal. Love this so so much.

charlee92's review against another edition

dark fast-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

3.5

Persephone was so much stronger in this one. I loved that. The spice went up a notch for sure.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Blood and Alcohol

Minor: Infertility

kaseybereading's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Car accident

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Rape