Reviews with content warning for Violence - A History of Wild Places

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw

26 reviews

wyldpoetry_'s review

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A children’s author who writes dark fairytales goes missing deep in the forest near an old hippie commune. A man who sees images when he touched objects goes looking for her at the request of her family. But thIs hippie commune isn’t what it seems and there’s something dark lurking beneath the deep.

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cursed_sapphire's review

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adventurous dark inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This book kept me guessing around every turn, keeping me on the edge of my seat. At first a bit confusing, as it starts off with an event and a character that doesn't seem to fit into the rest of the narrative, but as the mysteries slowly unfold, the beginning is only made better. This book was well crafted in a way that I haven't experienced in a while-- where the twists were both surprising yet made complete sense, and tempting me to read the whole book again with my newly-gained perspective.

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gi_gi_g's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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yomireads's review

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dark mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

3.25

A compelling read with vivid descriptions and rich characters. I do wish it hadn't presented itself as supernatural when it read more as a mystery thriller, but I still liked it from start to finish.

I personally found it disappointing for such an intriguing psychic ability to be introduced and then nearly entirely ignored for the entirety of the book. Pairing this sense of supernatural ability with the implied sickness of the forest and the inclusion of limes from the haunting children's book really gave a sense that there would be at least a hint of magic involved, and it felt less like a red herring twist, and more like a failure to meet expectations. I appreciate that subverting the reader's expectation provided more impact to the twist, and so still enjoyed the read, even if it felt a bit like a promise broken.

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trishah05's review

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious relaxing tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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shantastic_reads's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

Well constructed beautifully eerie atmosphere - I could clearly visualize Pastoral in all its lush greenery and creepy stillness. The multiple POVs were effective in building tension, revealing different pieces of information and letting the reader put it together, bit by bit. The plot takes some predictable and unrealistic turns, and I think Travis' special ability described at the outset of the book is an unnecessary trope that doesn't ultimately add much. That said, I enjoyed this story and had a hard time putting it down.

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