Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Mrs England by Stacey Halls

16 reviews

emma_sky's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting and Toxic relationship

Minor: Emotional abuse, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Terminal illness

wallflovver's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.75

if stacy halls has one fan, it's me

i just find her books so easy to consume, i love the historical aspects, i love the characters she writes and i love the way she builds atmosphere

i read mrs england in autumn, the second half of the book, i sat by the window during a storm and it has been the perfect setting

i worked out the main twist myself before the big reveal, i truly enjoyed piecing the mystery together. especially since ruby is an unreliable narrator, you have to pick up on the clues and secrets throughout the story yourself 

as with her other books, i feel the pacing gets a lot quicker in the final third but i wouldn't say it seems overly rushed

i just really enjoyed this read! can't wait for her next book honestly, i will keep coming back to her writing!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

cloud_kitty_cat's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Violence, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Abandonment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Alcoholism

elviolet's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Death

Moderate: Murder, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

theblondebird's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Violence, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Grief

eellww's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? No

4.0

I still have questions. I think some ideas were touched upon but then either were never picked up again or not explored fully. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Medical content

Moderate: Physical abuse, Murder, Medical trauma, Death, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Bullying, Abandonment, Infidelity, Classism, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol, Grief, Sexism, Classism, Bullying, Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy

emilo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

this book is mostly atmosphere but it works  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism, Mental illness, Death of parent, Death, Violence, and Chronic illness

linkamarisa's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Death of parent, and Death

twiceuponabluemoon's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent and Domestic abuse

mary_lake's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I read this all in one sitting and was absolutely gripped by the story; very compelling and I enjoyed the way the mystery was crafted. I loved the characters of the children - Decca and Millie especially felt very real and distinct from one another. 

The only few things I would say is that sometimes the pacing felt a bit off -

Ruby's subservience to Mr England and subsequent reversal felt a bit rushed and choppy.

As well, and this might just be me, I sometimes forgot the story was set in the early Edwardian era. The dialogue felt quite modern and if Ruby had mentioned a radio or World War One, it wouldn't have felt off. 

But, overall, this was a great read and one I will certainly be revisiting. The writing was lovely and, generally, the characters well developed.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Mental illness