Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala

3 reviews

bookswhitme's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious 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

3.0

I have a few mixed feelings about this one. The reveal didn’t make sense to me in some ways, partially because of the timeline of events. I could have missed something though and that’s why it’s a bit off to me. Also, the predatory behavior of one of the characters especially towards the underage girls was an important topic to touch on, but I feel like the discussion was a bit lackluster. The resolution was just that he died, but considering how widely known his behavior was and the role it played in the actual conflict, I expected a bit more. The most accountability that was discussed was by one of the girls who pointed out that something should’ve been done early on and then someone griped about how they now had to “write a press release” about it. I don’t know, it just left a bit to be desired there.

The discussion on PTSD and therapy, plus the difficulty of complicated family relationships  was done pretty well, especially once it was tied into culture and the family. 

I have to admit the MC did annoy me with how immature she acted at certain times. I understand being petty, but sometimes she just came off as childish and stubborn, which is fine, but it felt never ending. Also, for the love of goodness I hope this “love triangle” thing gets resolved soon because at this point it’s just dragging on. 

Despite all this, I did enjoy listening to the audio and I’m glad we didn’t just gloss over what happened in book 1. Trauma has a lasting effect so being able to see that Lila was not okay and everything wasn’t just happy golucky I’m the aftermath was a definite plus.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, and Sexual harassment

uranaishi's review

emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Death of parent, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Medical content, Self harm, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Incest, Violence, and Racism

cassielaj's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious 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

I think I liked this better than the first one!! The mystery was a bit more straightforward, though still without being predictable. I also loved taking a deeper look at some of the characters! And the pageant-related mystery made me think of Miss Congeniality, which I loved. 
The only thing that tripped me up a bit were the frequent and often niche cultural references. Memes, characters, and phrases were used that made this feel like a very 2022 book, and I worry that it might seem somewhat dated pretty quickly. 
Overall, though, it’s a great book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Pedophilia, and Murder

Minor: Misogyny, Gun violence, and Acephobia/Arophobia