Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner

30 reviews

breezypeach's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Lina’s sister is found murdered, she has to find out what happened to her. To achieve this she apprentices under a highly regarded medium in Paris. The two are invited back to the London Seance Society to investigate a murder, and as they begin to investigate they find there is many more connections and conspiracies than initially expected. This was a really fun read. The mystery was fun and definitely kept me coming back for more. However, I really didn’t like the secondary POV and how that ended up basically being the means to which the reader learns what actually happened. I would have enjoyed the story much more just from Lina’s perspective.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Murder, Violence, Sexism, and Sexual assault

iridescentdreams's review

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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, Murder, Grief, and Gore

growintogardens's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.75

A lot of promise, but the characters just didn't click for me and the pacing was too slow at times. It sucks because queer characters and the setting had me so excited for this book and historical mysteries are my jam. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Sexism, Murder, Violence, Grief, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

xylea13's review

dark fast-paced

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

2.5

With themes that are simultaneously heavy-handed and absent, a strange choice of POVs, and hardly any tension that wasn't immediately resolved, I would have liked this book a lot better if it had been executed differently.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault

megan_f_hobbs's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Murder

whimsylee's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

Loved the Victorian spiritualism  and the sapphic romance. The mystery pulled me in and compelled me to keep reading. Some of the writing was redundant and I personally disliked the use of misogyny in this book. If you like spooky/historical mysteries and sapphic romance, I recommend this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Grief, Blood, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexism, and Alcohol

Minor: Vomit, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, and Sexual content

mckiheather's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

A great book, it had so many twists but they all unfolded so naturally I just had to think like “of course”. I loved how the whole depth of the conspiracy was never unveiled at once, there was never a moment with like the villain monologue that gives away the whole plan. You alternated POV between Lenna and Morley and pieced together the story as they unveiled what they each knew, and what they each discovered.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death

Moderate: Murder, Violence, Misogyny, and Confinement

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Blood, Gore, Homophobia, and Sexual content

kaitthelibrarian's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault

rachelita's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual assault

podanotherjessi's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

3.5

This was a sweet enough story. The mystery felt rather obvious to me, but I didn't mind too much because the point is clearly more about the characters. I like the world that is built here and the way it's used to explore the themes of sexism and abuse of power.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism

Minor: Sexual assault