Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Master of Salt & Bones by Keri Lake

44 reviews

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I really liked this book, I found the plot very interesting and I love books with an unreliable narrator, which this is. There were times when even I questioned whether Isa was real or just Lucian's imagination!

The relationship between Isa and Lucian wasn't my favorite, even though I loved the tension between them, but I think it all happened too quickly. They became interested in each other and got together too fast, and at the end of the book, they solved their problems too quickly as well!

At first, I was a little disappointed with the ending because the plot twists were too obvious, but the last plot twist was fantastic and super creepy, so I loved it.

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dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I feel like I just got slapped in the face repeatedly. This was *almost* four stars, but I got the ick too many times. I get that this was a dark romance but the amount of past child sexual assault/rape was just a lot.
Especially once Lucian recreates his own being raped as a child scene with Isa
. I also vomited in my mouth a little when Lucian and Isa are celebrating and he comments that she’s not even old enough to drink. Would it have killed anyone for Isa to be like 27?
 
The plot was also not super fleshed out imo. What was up with the Schadenfreude guys after the scene with Lucian going to Isa’s rescue? Who is Uncle George? The only person who I forgive for being delusional is Lucian. My man was gaslit since the age of 2 so the fact that he doesn’t really know up from down sometimes is forgivable. Not sure what everyone else’s excuses were though. 

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The definition of Meh

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

This was a dark, gothic romance with an eerie setting, lots of emotion, and steamy spice scenes. It’s definitely not light reading...there are a lot of heavy trigger warnings, so check those first, but Keri Lake’s writing is incredibly atmospheric and beautiful per usual.

I loved Isadora’s quiet strength and Lucian’s broody, layered personality. Both characters had solid development, and I was really drawn into their stories. The secret society/mystery subplot also kept me turning the pages.

It is very spicy (like, capital S spicy), so if that’s not your thing, maybe skip this one. My only real gripe was the age gap...I wish Isadora had been a bit older (22 would’ve felt better than 19). Still, I love gothic vibes and Lake absolutely nails that haunted mansion, coastal fog, dark kind of energy. Still, overall, I really enjoyed this one.

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kmaemonroe's profile picture

kmaemonroe's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 17%

The scenes of child sexual assault were very detailed. I didn’t not want to read that.

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated

A dark romance that is definitely full of unsettling themes and past occurrences. I enjoyed the book but it was hard to get through some of the background information due to its “darkness”. Check trigger warnings on this one! 

Definitely recommend the print version of this book - narrator doing the female chapters really ruined the male for me 😬

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings