Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek

9 reviews

abby_can_read's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

📖
I had high hopes for this book. I think this lived up to my hopes. I liked the worldbuilding and the lore and the magic systems. I liked the relationship between Liska and The Leszy. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Violence

Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Animal death

erwikka's review

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad 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’m not crying at 1 am you are! When I heard this was Howls Moving Castle with Polish lore I couldn’t pick it up fast enough. I’m happy to admit that it lives up to the Howl’s comparison. I throughly enjoyed this one. It felt like you were in a fairytale and those are some of my favorites I also love the Polish names. Pretty sure this book and the ending will be sitting in my feels for a while and you gotta love that. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Animal death

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

skyecharmel's review

I knew the cat house spirit was going to die because I looked ahead and I didn't want to deal with that.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

lkristin2018's review

dark sad medium-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? Yes

2.0

Certainly it was a compelling dark, folk-tale like story.  However, the combination of the main character being a minor, and her love interest being a 700 demon whose pet nickname for her was a put-down did not work for me.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Animal death

I did not like how the author portrayed suicide as a noble act. Suicide is a top cause of teenage death, and this romanticizes it.

mzquirk's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Violence, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Self harm, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual content

katievallin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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

3.5

I liked the vibes: the sentient forest and house, the feeling of home, the found-family, the gradual romance. I liked the characters and the very obvious similarities to Beauty and the Beast.

I didn't like the body horror

and human sacrifice.

Those definitely made it seem more dark and evil than it started off being. I also feel conflicted about the clash between the church and paganism.

Also the climax was very sad, and I did not appreciate that.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Grief, Murder, Religious bigotry, Blood, Violence, Body horror, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content

Minor: Animal death and Sexual content

attolis's review

3.75

A lovely YA fantasy with a bit of a fairytale feel in a similar vein as Beauty and the Beast, Howl's Moving Castle and Novik's Uprooted. The first 2/3 or so are a bit slow but it all comes together pretty well by the end. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Animal death, and Violence

Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual content

babblingandbooks's review

emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced

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

4.5

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Penguin for sending me an ARC of this book and thank you to A. B. Poranek for absolutely DESTROYING me emotionally.

I haven't felt this way about a book in such a long time. Despite its premise reminding me of quite a few other stories I have read (and enjoyed), Poranek succeeds in making it feel new and fresh and unique.

I know that some readers struggle to connect with a culture that isn't their own; constantly Googling words and phrases can be laborious to some. I however absolutely adored learning Polish phrases and customs and feelings the author's clear adoration for her heritage throughout the book.

The cast of characters is so charming and loveable and they feel very distinct. The banter between our empathetic and caring female MC and the charming yet emotionally wrought male MC had me giggling and kicking my feet, and their companions had me laughing and weeping simultaneously. 

This novel gave me vibes of beauty and the beast, howl's moving castle, princess mononoke, dare I even mention acotar...?
And yet this book stands solidly on its own two feet.

The themes of religion, grief, and trauma are all beautifully dealt with, and made it easier to read certain tropes and themes that I'm not the biggest fan of

e.g. fated mates

It's not a perfect story by any means; I wish certain plot points and elements were expanded upon more as they felt a little convenient - but this doesn't deter my love for this book. 

Where The Dark Stands Still has single-handedly brought the joy of reading back to me.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death

eatallthestars's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Death, and Gore

Minor: Animal death and Grief