Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb

7 reviews

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense 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

5.0

This had a little bit of everything for me, and I loved the ending. I’m always rooting for the underdog, so for me, while the historical events were awful, I loved how Josephine got all that she wanted, even if that wasn’t how she wanted to get it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Death, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Violence, Torture, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Drug use, and Mental illness

thrillofthepage's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Racism, Police brutality, and Racial slurs

Minor: Classism, Gun violence, Death, Bullying, Sexism, Alcohol, Misogyny, and Murder

scmiller's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Cultural appropriation, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcohol, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Murder, Sexism, Death, and Violence

Minor: Drug abuse, Addiction, Drug use, Classism, and Suicide

meganpbennett's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious

• 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

5.0

I read the Violin Conspiracy last year and loved it. When I saw Symphony of Secrets, I knew I had to read it. And it was fascinating. I loved the twists and turns, though I would have loved for one of them to have been fully revealed to the 'now' audience. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Racism, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Mental illness

lizzym126's review

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Classism, Racism, Suicide, and Bullying

Moderate: Suicide, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Outing

mollyb13's review

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I really enjoyed Slocumb's first book, The Violin Conspiracy - but I LOVED Symphony of Secrets. His descriptions of music are unmatched and the story he wove over two periods in time was beautiful and heart-wrenching. Bern and Eboni were dynamic and I really enjoyed the present-day storyline.

Frederick Delaney was a wonderfully written villain. There were multiple times I caught myself rooting for him in the music industry during the book. I feel like the villains that have these moments are truly the ones I remember most and also the ones who generally do the most harm. But Josephine Reed stole the story for me and I was constantly looking forward to learning more about her. The worst part about this book is that I will never hear the music she composed since she is a fictional character!

I'm a big library user, but have a few authors whose books I buy on release so I can highlight and scribble notes all over them. Brendan Slocumb has definitely joined that list for me with his second novel!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Racism, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Police brutality

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Gaslighting, Cursing, Violence, Murder, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Confinement, Alcohol, and Gun violence

Minor: Drug use and Physical abuse