Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy

3 reviews

alexa2107's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Abortion, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Violence, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

reading_and_roaming20's review

dark hopeful mysterious 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? No

4.5

It’s funny how sometimes you buy a book and it sits forever. Other times you just feel drawn to it and pick it up immediately. The bond that I had with THE DEVIL AND MRS. DAVENPORT was the latter. I saw a five star review from @mother.horror and I was on my way within the day. 

THE DEVIL AND MRS. DAVENPORT is such an interesting combination of genres. Who knew that 50s historical gothic paranormal mystery would work so well? It’s not too dark and it’s not too creepy but it will scratch a horror itch with spirits from the other side while also hooking you with Mrs. Davenport herself. 

The story follows Loretta as she grapples with her abusive, controlling husband (in a time where that was totally a-ok with society) and newfound psychic abilities. When a local girl is murdered, Loretta becomes entangled in the mystery by way of visions and visitations from the girl’s spirit. The character development is fantastic and I absolutely adored watching Loretta grow into the confident woman her husband was gaslighting and berating her into thinking she could never be. 

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is into any one of the genres that are tied together to create this story. I definitely plan to check out other works from PAULETTE KENNEDY after loving this one so, so much! (I rounded down to 4 stars but it’ll be a 4.5 on StoryGraph.)

CW NOTE :: There are scenes containing a multitude of abuses, so this is just a heads up to consider CWs on @the.storygraph before reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, and Death of parent

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, and Infidelity

Minor: Alcoholism

katy_jay's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book had me hooked from the moment I picked it up. My first ARC read and I was blown away. It covered off so many sensitive subjects in a respectful way. I knew from early on who the killer would be in this book however it still managed to keep me hooked with lots of twists and turns in the story. I loved the setting in the 50’s and the characters were diverse especially given the time period. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Body shaming, Mental illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Infidelity, Grief, Gaslighting, Abortion, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Adult/minor relationship