Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley

16 reviews

maeverose's review against another edition

4.0

This would be a solid 5 stars if it weren’t for one  thing that rubbed me the wrong way…

That  being the way Kite murdered Frank and everyone just kinda forgot about it. Like that made him irredeemable to me. I would’ve loved the whole romance plot line and been totally happy with the ending if it weren’t for that one thing. If the author is autistic I’d be willing to look past it, even though I still think it was an odd choice, but if she’s allistic that gives me the ick. The way he was physically restrained, slapped and literally murdered while having a meltdown? Just to keep Joe from remembering who he was. That is not justified on Kite’s part. At all. And Joe just seemingly forgets about it after a while??

I also didn’t love some of the ways the author described Kite’s scarring and Clay’s disfigurement and ‘childlike’ behavior from his trauma. It could just be Joe’s/Kite’s thoughts not the author’s, but it bothered me a bit. It wasn’t horrible though.

Otherwise I really liked this book. I heard someone suggest it as a book similar to The Binding (which I also liked until I found out the author was a terf), and this definitely has a similar feel to The Binding, though a pretty different plot. I knew very little going in and I think that’s the best way to read it. Despite how mostly negative this review is I would recommend this if the synopsis sounds intriguing. Just check content warnings!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, War, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Misogyny, Rape, Child abuse, Gore, Medical content, and Sexual content

Minor: Racism, Ableism, and Fatphobia

graphic: Amnesia, Intrusive Thoughts, minor: Eugenics

lizzie24601's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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

4.5

God, Natasha Pulley knows how to tell a story!!!!!! She uses the same trope in all of her books and I gobble it up every time! And as a fan of stories set on ships in the early 19th century, this hit the spot. I would read a whole series about Joe and Kite. I felt out of breath reading this because I was so excited to get to the next chapter. Ugh!! Incredible character building and a suspenseful relationship and plot. 

Half a star taken off only because the opening is so slow - until you get to part 3 and it takes OFF. If you haven't read a Natasha Pulley book before, read The Watchmaker of Filigree Street or The Bedlam Stacks before this one - they both are better introductions to her writing style since they start off a bit quicker and are written more chronologically. Then come back and enjoy this one. :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting and War

Moderate: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Slavery

Minor: Death of parent, Self harm, Genocide, Sexism, Alcohol, and Blood

clarabooksit's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Animal cruelty, Violence, Murder, Mental illness, Death, Gun violence, War, Kidnapping, Sexism, and Animal death

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Xenophobia, Blood, Colonisation, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Suicide

cateyeschloe's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.75

This is the first book in years that made me feel about reading the way it did when I was a kid. 

I absolutely loved this story and I know I’ll want to read it again eventually!

The story of The Kingdoms in a historical alternate reality. The majority of the story centers around the 1800s in England and France. 

This is a timey wimey story (apologies for the Doctor Who reference), and I really enjoyed that aspect of it! It was concise and clearly demarcated when there was a switch in time or place. Time travel is one of my favorite sub genres so I was really excited it was done well in this book!

My only real criticism of the writing style was that so many scenes in the book are very emotionally charged and had the potential to carry a lot of heavy-hitting weight with them. Occasionally, though, these scenes either ended a little quickly or fell just short of where I felt their potential lied. I wish Pulley had invested a little more in these scenes because these characters have great chemistry with each other and it would be so easy to really pack in the emotional gravity of some scenes. 

The queerness of this book also isn’t front and center, and, really, is hardly addressed at all. By the time I was about halfway through, I was still trying to decide if the MCs were actually queer or if I was just coloring it with my own perceptions. 

Maybe this is intentional or maybe this is another aspect that could have been a little more fleshed out. I really didn’t mind this part, though, because it wasn’t the main focal point of the plot but did serve as a pleasant secondary story. 

Overall, this is a really exciting, engaging, and mysterious story with some GREAT plot twists multiple times throughout. I really enjoyed this one and absolutely want to add it to my collection. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Classism, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Slavery

Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement and Blood

dananana's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

THIS JUST REWIRED MY BRAIN CHEMISTRY 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Colonisation, Death, Blood, Gun violence, Violence, War, and Slavery

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Alcohol

augustar14's review against another edition

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, Colonisation, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Murder, War, Grief, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, Racism, and Sexism

cameronreads's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. I think the concept is so interesting and gripping, and I was fully invested the whole time either trying to figure out what on earth was going on or whether my theories were right. I think it was predictable in a way that felt like everything satisfyingly coming into place, with revelations slowly dawning on me allowing for the perfect confirming reveal. I think the characters were compelling and well written, and the book seemed very well research (not that I know anything about history). 

Two half stars were taken off for me - one because the way that time travel was written, although the right way to make the story work, is the one way I hate for time travel to be written. I love it when time travel is more along the lines of what David Lewis theorised as possible, rather than time travellers having the ability to change the future from the past etc. Still, it made for the right kind of story, so only half a star off for that. A second half star off because I wanted just a bit more feeling out of the characters. I think the emotions they were feeling here were so big that they needed a bit more description or emphasis. I wanted to feel the emotions with the characters, and I just didn't really. Mostly I wanted to see more passion out of the main relationship in here, I think just a little more development could have really added to the impact. 

Still, I loved this so much more than I expected to, and I would 100% recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Violence, War, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Gore

Moderate: Misogyny, Self harm, Gun violence, Cursing, Colonisation, and Grief

Minor: Suicide, Alcohol, Torture, and Vomit

shmandy's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

"...in my head, you're so pristine. I just wanted to not get anything on you." // "I think you're the same thing in three different lights."

If anyone needs I will be screaming about Nataha Pulley from the top of a lighthouse. This was action fuelled and jam packed with plot while also being character driven and slow to the point of the anticipation crawling in so carefully you didn't realize how invested you were in everyone until their lives were in mortal peril ( dozens of times).

Every character - even the short lived ones- are so well written that you can't help but immediately understand and feel for them.

I would lay my life on the line for Kite. Everyone needs a hug and about 900 days of rest.

The writing - in particular the way she writes the characters physically existing beside each other is so well done. I highly suggest going in with no understanding of what's going on and being okay with being confused for a bit - it's well worth it.

My first Natasha Pulley book and absolutely not my last - as soon as the mail arrives.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Blood, Violence, and Gun violence

kaliko's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, and Blood

Minor: Rape and Self harm

spacebornfew's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

5.0

There's something about Natasha Pulley's books that just breaks me every time. They contain these moments that elicit this indescribable feeling of safety and warmth and belonging that curls up in my gut and sits there for days afterwards. Those moments intersperse with heartbreak and remorse and questions about what makes us who we are... I'm going to have a hell of a hangover from this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, War, Violence, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Slavery, Gun violence, Suicide, Torture, and Blood

Minor: Xenophobia