Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

10 reviews

smuttymcbookface's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

There was a lot to love about this, and some things I didn't like so much.

The darkness of the world-building was great, and it was nice that this had a vampire-human romance that did not romanticise vampirism. I loved the "in-between" chapters which gave extra information. The length of them was perfect so that you didn't feel like you were being pulled away from the story.

There was something very compelling and relatable about Tana and Aiden. It was nice to see through the "cool although kid" mask into the real fear of not fitting in and not finding yourself. Although I found it a little annoying that everyone was alt, it did make the world-building more fun.

I liked that Tana wasn't a Mary Sue; she made so many mistakes, and kept going back and forgiving people she really shouldn't have.

I love how the story unravelled, with more and more slowly revealed. However, I did not like the final climax,

and that she went dancing with her 12 year old sister and friends directly afterwards as if nothing had happened and she wasn't traumatised from parties or in the process of turning?

I did like the final chapter though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, and Self harm

Moderate: Torture and Grief

librarymouse's review

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

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

4.5

I read this book for the first time when it came out in 2013. Over a decade later, I am so happy that this book has held up against the memory I had of reading it for the first time. It does hit some of the pitfalls of other vampire fiction, like a man who looks young but is nearly a century old falling in love with a seventeen year old girl. However, Holly Black's exploration of the characters and the reasoning behind the formation of their mutual interest being rooted in something other than just physical attraction, made it far less icky than it could have been. With the impulsivity of the young vampires and the impulsivity and hedonism of the vampires who were turned at a young age, it makes me wonder if there is a halting of mental and emotional development at the age at which they were turned in this iteration of vampire lore. This book is absolutely blood-soaked, with descriptive explanations of viscera and torture, but it is also incredibly funny, and oddly very human.

I really thought Aiden was going to kill Pearl after his shenanigans and coercion after being turned. It was a nice twist to see that even as they've become morally gray, they're still the same characters - the existential question underlying the entire book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Body horror, Murder, Violence, Confinement, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Death, Mental illness, and Suicide

Moderate: Drug use and Infidelity

Minor: Dysphoria and Excrement

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Animal death, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Classism, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Child death, Death, Blood, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Cannibalism, Addiction, Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, Dysphoria, Gore, Murder, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Torture, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Violence

laurenevlyn's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective fast-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

5.0

One of the most entertaining books I’ve ever read. I’m in awe at Holly Black and her ability to create such complex characters and stories. This books was as much a commentary on society and romanticization as it was a story. I loved both aspects of it. I believe I may be thoroughly in love with both Tana and Gavriel. Speaking of, I also adored how Tana got shit done. She had such reasonable thought processes and the kind of common sense that is rare among YA protagonists. All in all, an incredible book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Torture, Gore, Death of parent, Murder, Child death, Confinement, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Body horror, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gun violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

Minor: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts

ghostlyprince's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Blood, Grief, Violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Cannibalism, Death, Child death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, and Torture

Moderate: Confinement, Abandonment, Suicide, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Body horror, Animal death, Body shaming, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, and Vomit

breadwitchery's review

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Gore, Torture, and Suicide

Minor: Vomit, Misogyny, Infidelity, Alcohol, Self harm, and Gun violence

kels_18's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Confinement, Self harm, Death, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore

Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcoholism

risten's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Cannibalism, Blood, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Violence, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and Torture

Moderate: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

booksthatburn's review against another edition

The introduction was engaging, and I like this version of vampirism. The worldbuilding around vampires and how the humans react is interesting and works pretty well. The story just moved too slowly to keep me engaged, and I couldn't stay interested in the main character with the decisions she was making. I don't have anything specifically negative to say about the book, it just wasn't working for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Medical content, Death of parent, Child death, Murder, Self harm, and Death

Minor: Gun violence

leahjanespeare's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow, such a great spooky/Halloween read! And I recommend going the audiobook route - there is CREEPY MUSIC at intense moments (like a podcast!) ; the first time it happened, I jumped in my chair! What a solid, original vampire tale. Must read for the genre.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore, Self harm, Violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Blood