Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

16 reviews

rowanrelph's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

kirstenf's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, and Blood

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Death and Abandonment

peachtease's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Blood, Suicide, and Death of parent

stephanieswilley's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Racism, Blood, Death, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness

abitbetterbooks's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? No

4.75

An absolute masterpiece of a novel! A stunning exploration of grief & mental health, with a touch of magical realism, and prose that will make you weep. The way Leigh’s artistry is woven into the narration through colour is one of the most brilliant literary devices I’ve ever seen. My only complaint is that the ending just felt a bit too neat (esp. with Leigh’s father), otherwise a flawless novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Blood

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol

sarah_speaks's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Grief, Suicide, Death of parent, and Death

Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content

ebb_and_flow's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Mental illness, Blood, Suicide, Grief, Self harm, and Death of parent

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Eating disorder

emilyz05's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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

4.75

I absolutely loved this book so much. I wasn’t expecting it to hit so close to home since I’ve never experienced anything like this. But the main character being an Asian American (like me) and finally connecting to her Asian roots really resonated with me. 

The story and plot itself is so immersive. I feel like I am experiencing the exact same thing as Leigh is in the story. The whole book tells such a bittersweet story, you’ll be crying on one page, then smiling with warmth on the next. It actually surprised me that there was also a romantic story in the book because all I expected was to read about loss, but the book is really about exploring all kinds of love. I really enjoyed all aspects of the story.

I also loved the prose of the writing and the style it was written in. The flashbacks were my absolute favorite to read and it was also heartwarming to read about the present, but I was mostly excited to read the flashbacks. I loved how everything slowly unravels and takes time to settle in.

I also like how the author approached the mothers death. I’ve never lost anyone to suicide, but I like how the author does her best to take away/talk about the stigma around it and around mental health.

10/10 recommend. The book made me bawl, it made my heart flutter, it made me smile. Just an overall great experience.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

ivan_levitt's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Self harm, and Blood

msbarnesela's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death of parent

Moderate: Suicide, Mental illness, and Blood