Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

19 reviews

imfixintoread's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

I could not put this book down! There is a lot in this book -- mystery, paranormal activity, historical references to the Holocaust and Ravensbrück, murder, attempted murder, dual timelines, multiple narrators. And yet, Simone St. James absolutely nails this. It was incredibly well written and one of those books that I'll think about for a long time. There were a few times where the hair stood up on the back of my neck. Truly a great read.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Stalking, Sexual assault, and Genocide

colourado's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Antisemitism, Genocide, Gun violence, Rape, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and War

lampbee's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

I like her books. Ghost mysteries sound stupid on paper but the way she does them makes them entertaining :) It wrapped up so well in a way I wasn’t necessarily expecting but one that was satisfying. Vivid imagery and solid characterization of what a girls school is like. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Violence, Hate crime, Murder, Death, Child death, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Police brutality, Addiction, Antisemitism, Genocide, and War

Obviously a lot of the book centers around how one of the school girls

was put into Ravensbruck for aiding her mother in the allied resistance of France

Her description is moderately graphic , there really should be a

holocaust content warning option

Also I walked into it thinking there would be copaganda but it was actually in the reverse which was crucial to liking the book.

chris_reads's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Violence, Murder, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Genocide, Torture, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Sexual content

flying_monkeys's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

3.5

Perfect for the overcast, rainy day on which I decided to read it.

Set during winter in a small town called Barrons, Vermont. Part of the story takes place in the 1950s at Idlewild Hall, a boarding school for "bad girls." The other part takes place in 2014. Both involve the town legend of Mary Hand.

While its mystery is a page-turner, some of the situations the 1950s girls experienced before being cast off to the school's responsibility, were horrific and might trigger certain folks.

Prepared for that brutality, though, this thriller would be an excellent read on a cold winter's day.

3.5 stars 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Rape, and Child abuse

Moderate: Suicide attempt

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Grief, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Antisemitism, and Rape

Minor: Pregnancy and Suicide attempt

hmstumfoll's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book started out slow for me but once the story went on it was a good read. A mystery with a misguided group of previous boarding school girls looking for justice for their murdered friend. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Genocide, Child death, Suicide attempt, and Rape

pibblemama97's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, War, Antisemitism, Blood, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Genocide

alsndra's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

- Starts off slow, but the pace picks up almost half way through.
- I found the chapters set in the 1950s to be more interesting than the chapters set in 2014. This was because I wanted to know more about the girls than Fiona and her life. 
- I liked the elements of the paranormal, it definitely added some eeriness and mystery to the school setting.
- Wasn’t a fan of all the leads and names I had to keep up with and remember. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Police brutality, Death, Genocide, and Grief

Moderate: Antisemitism, Death, Drug use, Rape, and Sexual assault

bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

4.0

“That was what the books did—they turned off your thinking for you, put their thoughts in your head so you wouldn't have your own.”

➽ I'm on a mission to read all of Simone St. James' books, as they never miss! The Broken Girls is another one of her stories, that is told in dual timelines. In 2014 we follow Fiona, a journalist who couldn't let go of her sister's death even though they convicted the murderer. Since Idlewild Hall, a former boarding school, is being restored, she decides to dive deeper into its history. Back in 1950, Idlewild Hall was a place for troublemaker girls that no one else wanted and we follow a group of girls who are there for various reasons. I really liked how both timelines intersected, as Fiona tries to learn more about what happened back then and how it could be connected to her sister's murder!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Sexism, and Death

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, War, Hate crime, Genocide, Rape, and Torture