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skylarkblue1's review against another edition
dark
sad
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? Yes
3.25
I'm torn between recommending this or not. I'm not fully sure if it's just, I'm not a regular to the crime fiction genre or if there is just something amiss about this one. I liked the characters well enough, story was ok even if fairly predictable.. It just left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. Maybe it's because I'm not religious at all so the ending (which got very religious, even compared to the rest of the book) just didn't interest me whatsoever?
The characters where not the worst, the detective was very cliche and 2d feeling, the other cops where kinda feeling like cardboard stand-ins that did not much at all. Sister Holiday first started as a "not like other girls" kinda vibe but I grew to actually kinda like her. The rest of the sisters where ok, but I did absolutely keep confusing who was who even at the end aha.. The kids where fun though, Prince was cliche but not the worst character at all, the other kids didn't appear enough to feel like they where actually important which was weird as their storylines felt very important overall? I think there was just way too many characters and the author only wanted to mainly write about Sister Holiday and Riveaux and what they did together.
The story felt pretty standard and predictable, the reveal at the end wasn't shocking at all to me. The "mysterious" events that happen throughout either have throwaway answers or uh, don't really get answered at all? How on earth did no one realise who the shadow was going through the school in the first fire? Like genuinely, they got spotted multiple times. But it also meant it was a very easy read that didn't take much thinking or brain power so I did kinda like that.
Idk, maybe this book just caught me on a good mood where I just wanted something to zone out to but it wasn't the worst book I've read. The writing was pretty good, and the way the dialogue was written also wasn't that bad. I don't know if I agree with the "cozy" tag this keeps getting, there's a hell of a lot of heavy topics discussed and it's not exactly what I'd call "cozy" (especially with the animal death part.... would have been nice if storygraph had that as a content warning on graphic or like... at allđ).
The characters where not the worst, the detective was very cliche and 2d feeling, the other cops where kinda feeling like cardboard stand-ins that did not much at all. Sister Holiday first started as a "not like other girls" kinda vibe but I grew to actually kinda like her. The rest of the sisters where ok, but I did absolutely keep confusing who was who even at the end aha.. The kids where fun though, Prince was cliche but not the worst character at all, the other kids didn't appear enough to feel like they where actually important which was weird as their storylines felt very important overall? I think there was just way too many characters and the author only wanted to mainly write about Sister Holiday and Riveaux and what they did together.
The story felt pretty standard and predictable, the reveal at the end wasn't shocking at all to me. The "mysterious" events that happen throughout either have throwaway answers or uh, don't really get answered at all? How on earth did no one realise who the shadow was going through the school in the first fire? Like genuinely, they got spotted multiple times. But it also meant it was a very easy read that didn't take much thinking or brain power so I did kinda like that.
Idk, maybe this book just caught me on a good mood where I just wanted something to zone out to but it wasn't the worst book I've read. The writing was pretty good, and the way the dialogue was written also wasn't that bad. I don't know if I agree with the "cozy" tag this keeps getting, there's a hell of a lot of heavy topics discussed and it's not exactly what I'd call "cozy" (especially with the animal death part.... would have been nice if storygraph had that as a content warning on graphic or like... at allđ).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Addiction, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Homophobia
Minor: Rape, Incest, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, and Self harm
Animal Death:yulia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really liked the premise and author's style. There are some really hard hitting emotional parts that I loved.
However it just felt all over the place, especially closer to the end. There were some scenes that just lead nowhere.Like Holiday's ex girlfriend appearing for a chapter out of nowhere and without particular significance to the plot/character development.
I had mixed feeling on the main character, but there were barely any likeable characters in the book so by comparison she wasn't so bad.
I also felt that her attitude to cops was very inconsistent considering her history. Especially her betraying John's secret to the cops without any solid reason
Not a hard read, but if you like any joy in your stories, I would pass on this one.
However it just felt all over the place, especially closer to the end. There were some scenes that just lead nowhere.
I had mixed feeling on the main character, but there were barely any likeable characters in the book so by comparison she wasn't so bad.
Not a hard read, but if you like any joy in your stories, I would pass on this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Hate crime, Violence, Police brutality, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal death
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Self harm, and Medical content
clacksee's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
4.5
After a traumatic experience, Sister Holiday is determined to start her life over again. But the fire follows her. And even though this time itâs not her fault, someoneâs determined to pin it on her.
This story features both a cat and a dog. One lives, one dies. The death is off-page and non-graphic, but traumatic nonetheless.
This story features both a cat and a dog. One lives, one dies. The death is off-page and non-graphic, but traumatic nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Rape, and Animal death
Minor: Child abuse
grunbean's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first half of this book wouldâve been a two and half stars for me. The second half was closer to three and a half stars. But the ending was like reading something that had a deadline, and the author realised it was due the night before.
The idea of a queer nun detective is fresh, and I enjoyed that aspect of it. I think the religious trauma and exploration of what itâs like to grow up queer in these communities was interesting. But these didnât really have much to do with the story of THIS book. A lot of the book didnât have much to do with the story and mystery. I donât know whether Iâm not smart enough and I didnât pick up on all the clues, or whether the answer to the mystery was shoe horned in at the end.
I found myself questioning the choices of the characters a lot. Not because theyâre bad, but because their choices just didnât make sense to me in the context.
Given that this is a series I feel like more time was spent on building up this world and characters for the series than on the story. It sort of felt like the author remembered there was a mystery to answer at the very end. It gave me whiplash, but not in the âoh my gosh I donât know how I didnât see this comingâ way. It was more of like âwas I meant to see this comingâ way. If that makes sense.
Thereâs a lot of promise and the writing is beautiful in places. The author definitely has a flair for description. Thereâs a lot of promise, but it doesnât deliver here. I will be picking up the next book in the series out of curiosity.
The idea of a queer nun detective is fresh, and I enjoyed that aspect of it. I think the religious trauma and exploration of what itâs like to grow up queer in these communities was interesting. But these didnât really have much to do with the story of THIS book. A lot of the book didnât have much to do with the story and mystery. I donât know whether Iâm not smart enough and I didnât pick up on all the clues, or whether the answer to the mystery was shoe horned in at the end.
I found myself questioning the choices of the characters a lot. Not because theyâre bad, but because their choices just didnât make sense to me in the context.
Given that this is a series I feel like more time was spent on building up this world and characters for the series than on the story. It sort of felt like the author remembered there was a mystery to answer at the very end. It gave me whiplash, but not in the âoh my gosh I donât know how I didnât see this comingâ way. It was more of like âwas I meant to see this comingâ way. If that makes sense.
Thereâs a lot of promise and the writing is beautiful in places. The author definitely has a flair for description. Thereâs a lot of promise, but it doesnât deliver here. I will be picking up the next book in the series out of curiosity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Car accident, Rape, and Violence
tarasoraptor's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Tl;dr version: This reads as trauma porn disguised as a mystery. The plot twist was predictable, the concl sion was hurried, poorly structured, and unsatisfying. If I wasn't finishing the book at midnight, in bed next to my partner, I would have thrown it across the room in frustration.
Will come back to review in more detail if I can.
Will come back to review in more detail if I can.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Alcohol, Classism, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Incest, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Drug use, Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Sexism, Self harm, Terminal illness, Cursing, Death, Police brutality, Murder, Rape, and Sexual harassment
runningonwords415'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There was a lot I liked about this book and a lot of gaps that I saw as well. I loved the setting - NOLA and the Catholic Church/ school really spoke to me. I loved the redemption arc of Sister Holiday and the grittiness of her character. The secondary characters really dragged this story down, though. They couldnât hold a candle to her stellar development. Everyone felt forced, half baked, or predicable, so I really struggled in any scene that wasnât just a moment that Sister was processing on her own. There are a ton of trigger warnings I wasnât expecting, especially with arson and burning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Medical content, and Animal death
iasmy's review against another edition
dark
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
I finished this book just to leave this review; otherwise, I would have DNFed it during the first chapter. I wasnât surprised by how much I hated this book. I guess stereotypically violent nuns who think they arenât the problem run in the Catholic Church.
The mystery is very cliché, and the characters are one-dimensional. The thought that enrages me throughout the book is the glorification of being in pain and suffering. Her fetish, because I am sure that our protagonist is at least partially into BDSM, is used to justify abusing kids.
Two of the more memorable incidents are making kids practice guitar until their fingers hurt so much that they complained to the principal. Even our masochist mother superior decided she went too far and punished her. The punishment was in fact enjoyed by our protagonist, who lamented that one of the kids who went to the principal was anonymous. I wonder why, since our protagonist is so nice and caring toward disabled kids and not at all ill equipped to dialog with them and out to get them.
Our lovely nun also beats a disabled foster kid to encourage him to tell the truth, and when he, rightfully so, wants to tell on her, she responds that nobody would believe him. I wonder why foster kids canât get out of the system. Not to talk about the double standard, she was way gentler with the kid who has a family, was actually present during the first incident, and had bigger secrets. I wonder why that is.
The constant mention of pain and suffering as a good thing, backed up by church talk, was infuriating but not surprising, and the author seemed tune-deaf as to the consequences of her words. Our sadomasochistic protagonist should have gone to therapy instead of becoming a nun; she would also have learned to explore that part of her personality in a safe way without taking it on the kids.
What enrages mein the resolution is that even in acknowledging that one person got too far , our protagonist and author fail to recognize that the rhetoric and behavior throughout the book are a symptom that let the âmysteryâ happen, not an isolated incident or caused only by personal struggles. Even if our protagonist isnât going to commit any murders in the future, the rhetoric that she is participating in is going to produce more people like that . The system is broken.
The mystery is very cliché, and the characters are one-dimensional. The thought that enrages me throughout the book is the glorification of being in pain and suffering. Her fetish, because I am sure that our protagonist is at least partially into BDSM, is used to justify abusing kids.
Two of the more memorable incidents are making kids practice guitar until their fingers hurt so much that they complained to the principal. Even our masochist mother superior decided she went too far and punished her. The punishment was in fact enjoyed by our protagonist, who lamented that one of the kids who went to the principal was anonymous. I wonder why, since our protagonist is so nice and caring toward disabled kids and not at all ill equipped to dialog with them and out to get them.
Our lovely nun also beats a disabled foster kid to encourage him to tell the truth, and when he, rightfully so, wants to tell on her, she responds that nobody would believe him. I wonder why foster kids canât get out of the system. Not to talk about the double standard, she was way gentler with the kid who has a family, was actually present during the first incident, and had bigger secrets. I wonder why that is.
The constant mention of pain and suffering as a good thing, backed up by church talk, was infuriating but not surprising, and the author seemed tune-deaf as to the consequences of her words. Our sadomasochistic protagonist should have gone to therapy instead of becoming a nun; she would also have learned to explore that part of her personality in a safe way without taking it on the kids.
What enrages me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Religious bigotry
Minor: Police brutality, Homophobia, and Animal death
lambkm's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Death, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide
Minor: Animal death and Self harm
cheeseplant111's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i am not religious but damn,,,
genuinely so intriguing loved the story and the prose
only complaint is that the end felt rushed and if it was missing something, couldâve been a bit longer i felt. somethings didnât get resolved
however i loved it def would read more
genuinely so intriguing loved the story and the prose
only complaint is that the end felt rushed and if it was missing something, couldâve been a bit longer i felt. somethings didnât get resolved
however i loved it def would read more
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Homophobia, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Rape, Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, and Infidelity
bmbriar's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I heard "queer nun detective" and said "give it to me" but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I anticipated. The homage to Chandler-esque mysteries almost veers past homage and into parody. Sister Holiday is a character I know I would like under other circumstances, but her narration is so indulgent and over-written that I was not able to be submerged in the character and the story.
I did enjoy Holiday's relationship with Riveaux, and the overall plotting picks up towards the end, but the ending nonetheless felt rushed, with characters' attitudes towards each other turning on a dime. I also called the murderer/arsonist early on, not because of breadcrumbed evidence (the main case-solving clue was presented right at the end of the book), but because she was the only character that Sister Holiday didn't suspect for a moment, thus making my correct call much less satisfying.
I did enjoy Holiday's relationship with Riveaux, and the overall plotting picks up towards the end, but the ending nonetheless felt rushed, with characters' attitudes towards each other turning on a dime.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Animal death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Suicide, Rape, Pedophilia, and Incest