Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

33 reviews

alireadss97's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This book destroyed me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma

Moderate: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

pinkpotayto's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book used the back and forth past/present device that im not quite fond of but it was done really well in this scenario and slowly helped the mystery unfold and the questions answered themselves. Most of it you can see coming, or at least I could, but how you got there was the true mystery and it was one I was willing to be patient and wait for! I enjoyed this book! But like any murder mystery please check and be mindful of the tags!!!!!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

uranaishi's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Abortion, and Pregnancy

emmehooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.0

Gooped, gagged, shocked (I’ve never read any Agatha Christie so I didn’t know the trope coming in). Every time I thought I had something figured out, I was wrong. Going back after I finished reading, there were so many clever hints, semantics, and clues spread in the book. 

I enjoyed the blending of flashbacks and present, good pacing, and a plot I am very excited to talk about at book club!!! 

The ending was quite full circle but I wish there was a little more to answer a few lingering questions. A huge build-up to such a short conclusion despite leaving so much room for more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Suicide, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Blood

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

i absolutely loved this book. it was like a less racist and homophobic version of And Then We Were None by Agatha Christie. if someone would’ve proposed this book to me i would’ve never read it because the tropes seem cliché and underwhelming. however, the execution was flawless. she delivered these tropes i normally find stupid in such an impressive and compelling way imo. also the end interaction between two of the main characters genuinely brought me to tears. i would ABSOLUTELY recommend this to almost anyone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

theonlybaillie's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Wasn't amazing, wasn't awful.

I enjoyed my time with it, but I wouldn't reread it.

Deeply okay.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Chronic illness and Murder

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

awebofstories's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-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

4.0

Alice Feeney is an author I've heard a lot about but had never read.  I chose this as my first Alice Feeney reading experience when I learned that it was meant to be an homage to Agatha Christie, which it pays successfully.

Between the time I heard about this and when I read it, I saw a lot of mixed reviews, and I get why that is.  This is based on And Then There Were None, which puts it in a difficult position.  Some readers will expect something they may not get, while others will feel it is treading on well-trod ground.  However, I didn't find myself torn on this point--in many ways, it was a love letter to Agatha Christie, and I was happy to go where Feeney was taking me.

Okay, I see how the ending can be divisive.  I fell into the camp of enjoying it, but I understand that others may not have liked it.  I thought I had the book figured out and was surprised at how things went, yet felt like it made sense when it was revealed.  I will say that there were some logistical issues in the end--not in how it ended, but more in the "how does that work?" sort of way.

I was struck by the loveliness of Feeney's writing and even copied out some passages that I found particularly evocative.  I felt that the pacing was perfect for this sort of story, and it kept me turning the pages.  

While there were a few things that I felt could have been improved, I did enjoy this book and I will be adding Alice Feeney's backlist to my TBR.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Medical trauma

_savannahreads_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-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

4.25

The narration style of this book was quite unique. It felt more like sitting at a table with Daisy over tea and listening as she recollected memories, while everyone else bustles about. There are a few twists in here I was not expecting AT ALL. And while it took me a bit to warm up to this book, by the end I was invested

and devastated.

This is the second book I read and loved by Alice Feeney and I’ll definitely be reading more by this author in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

thatswhatshanread's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

It was a dark and stormy night… okay, but really—it was a dark and stormy night on an isolated island off the coast of Cornwall, where an estranged family has gathered for Nana Darker’s 80th birthday. Albeit awkward considering their weird family dynamic, a tense celebration of sorts ensues until Nana turns up dead at the stroke of midnight. One by one, the family members disappear accompanied by cryptic, poetic messages, but whodunit?? 

I can’t say too much without giving the whole story away, but this was a fun murder mystery! For sure a more modern take on Agatha Christie mysteries with a little “Knives Out” action. It also reminded me, at times, of “The Prestige” and “Shutter Island”. 

I will say that I guessed the final twists fairly early on, but still felt the satisfying shock when they were unveiled, as some pieces I definitely had not put together. 

The writing style was great, though I did find the book a little too long, and some of the flashbacks stunted the flow of the story a tad. Also, don’t go into this one expecting to like any of the characters—some I rather loathed, which was part of the point of course. 

Overall, a very on-brand read for Halloween season!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit