Reviews tagging 'Violence'

A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin

44 reviews

amschelly153's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring 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? No

4.25

Really lovely and beautiful series. A fun YA read!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

oakairi's review against another edition

adventurous 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Blood, Murder, and War

Minor: Torture and Alcohol

vixenreader's review against another edition

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

3.25

The last third of the book saved it from transforming into another typical YA troupe, especially with its use of folklore. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Genocide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Classism

Minor: Cursing

Be aware that there are graphic moments of possession, trading human lives for power, chronic pain, broken limbs, and parasites being removed from body parts.

ms_sarah621's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

3.5

3.5 - I’m really having trouble rating this one. This seems to be a pretty great conclusion to the duology. The series as a whole doesn’t focus on the tea magic how I thought it would. I feel that I learned more in this book, but this magic could have become so intricate at times. Anyways, I did not expect the horror and unsettling imagery in this book. The Shift, the Shadow Realm, and the reality were all horrifying at times. Please don’t talk to me about the fish with human teeth… I found this imagery exciting to read and horrifying for what was happening to these characters. It really intrigued me as I was reading. The ending felt a little rushed. I kept looking down at the page numbers wondering when they were going to do something before the end, and it came very quick. It could have been some action packed, well described chapters that leaned into that horror element. However, it wrapped up fairly quick. Overall, I think this series is worth checking out. I really enjoyed the writing and the imagery, which kept me wanting to know what would happen. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

alrightlauryn's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.5

Whilst this book is the second in the duo, it became slightly repetitive when following the storyline. I believe the villain of the book was one of the obvious choices apart from the love interest. However, the redeeming qualities of the book still follow its unique take on an interesting subject matter and its growth. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Grief

kaylynnlock's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

biobeetle's review against another edition

emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcohol

nillech's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

2.25

Sluggish. An underwhelming conclusion to what should have been a fascinating experience.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Violence, and Grief

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

adventurous emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Blood and Fire/Fire injury

thepastelnerd's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

4.25

Finally read the second volume of this amazing duology! I don't know why it took me so dang long to read this one; maybe I was worried it wouldn't live up to its predecessor. But it did for the most part! My only complaint is that this second volume is significantly darker than the first, but that honestly was not surprising considering how A Magic Steeped in Poison ended. 

The quality of writing remained the same, though. Lin's colorful scenes are full of wonderful imagery and captivating detail. I enjoyed the character development too, although I felt it took a backseat a tiny bit to the action scenes. There were enough twists and turns and magical moments to keep me invested in the story, and I felt the conclusion was rather satisfying. I would love to read more books set in this universe if Lin decides to write them, but if not, I look forward to picking up anything else she writes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Alcoholism and Alcohol