Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb

19 reviews

disguisedposer's review

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

4.5* Even if you didn't like The Violin Conspiracy (which I loved), you might still like this one. It's not technically noir, but has that vibe. While it is about a composer and music academia, it didn't feel as music heavy as the first one. I didn't understand a lot of the musical references in the first book, but I didn't have that problem here. I highly recommend this one (also The Violin Conspiracy if you haven't read it yet).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Toxic relationship

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.

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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

d_nice_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

This book would have more compelling if it had been shorter. Bern was not a sympathetic protagonist and the contemporary part of the novel was too drawn out. Also, Eboni’s Bronx accent in the audiobook lacked authenticity.

Conversely, the black male protagonist doubting the sharp instincts of the black female supporting character was all too authentic.

I loved Josephine

and I’m glad she eventually asserted herself with Freddy

. But even the historical chapters could have been trimmed.

We get it, Freddy/Fred/Fredric was a dick and either didn’t believe or didn’t care that he exploited Josephine.

But how many chapters of proof did we need? 

I stayed through the end but just to hear the conclusion. This easily could have been a DNF, and the book’s editor would have been just as if not more responsible for the abandonment than the author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Ableism, Gaslighting, Police brutality, Racism, and Toxic friendship

jupytwo's review

informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

4.25

I’m so glad I decided to pick up this book on a whim from the library. It’s a tribute to all artists whose works were erased in history and is inspiring me to play my piano more! I love an interwoven story. 

my main ick was the romance plot…. not well written i would say.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Murder, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Gaslighting

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

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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

shirarweiss's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This book was suspenseful and compelling, and I wanted to know what happened next. However, I didn’t necessarily like it? It was really hard to read - it made me so upset. I just wanted to get through it. It did make me think a lot about music, artistry, history, power, and narrative control. I found Bern kind of annoying, and I was so angry about Josephine’s treatment that I could hardly read it. I want an entire book that’s just Josephine’s POV. I loved the dual timeline and multiple POVs. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Mental illness

awebofstories's review

adventurous tense 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Racism, Police brutality, and Gaslighting

kerrygetsliterary's review

emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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? No

5.0

WOWWW. Slocumb's sophomore novel is just as phenomenal as his first. I absolutely loved Symphony of Secrets just as much as The Violin Conspiracy and Brendan Slocumb is quickly becoming one of my favorite and auto-buy/read authors.

I was intrigued following Bern's plot in the present day, analyzing and authenticating the newly discovered work of Frederic Delaney. Though heavy on the musical composition, it was a fascinating aspect of the story and learning about the particulars of his examination while finding new tidbits of information to discover the truth about Delaney's past hooked me right in.

I thought I was hooked reading Bern's POV, but then we are dropped into the 1920s and get to witness what happened with Fred Delaney and Josephine Reed, and wow! Being thrown into their world and observing Josephine’s talents was so compelling. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, but I also wanted to savor it! I loved Josephine’s character (and the representation of neurodivergence) and not only her brilliant mind, but her strength and resilience.

I also loved Eboni, a tech genius who Bern hired to help analyze and decode Delaney’s work. She was such an intelligent anchor in his life, resolute and steadfast and courageous through all their challenges. Without her, Bern would have faced a slew of even worse consequences and dilemmas.

The pace was perfect, and the story didn’t drag at all. Slocumb expertly blends historical fiction with mystery with a touch of thriller. I was so stressed and anxious for Bern and Eboni at certain points!

Through the mystery of Delaney’s composition and investigation of the past, Symphony of Secrets also explores themes of racism and power that parallel both the past and present timelines. Slocumb displays how racism, power, and privilege are still incredibly prevalent today, and how white supremacy has permeated our society, even in places we think are diverse or progressive.

Absolutely a well-deserved five stars. Highly recommend. And I can definitely see this being optioned for a movie!

CWs: racism, racial slurs, violence, blood, suicide, police brutality, gaslighting, murder, sexism, domestic abuse, emotional abuse

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Death, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Cursing, Gun violence, Blood, and Murder

spuriousdiphthongs's review

challenging 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, Racism, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Death, Cursing, and Cultural appropriation

scmiller's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

3.75

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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