Reviews with content warning for Cursing - Dark and Shallow Lies

Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain

10 reviews

gracescanlon's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Grey, girl, love ya but man are you dumb like 60% of the time.

Dark, twisty, tense, deeply sad and intensely atmospheric — Dark and Shallow Lies is a heavy read, but worthwhile. It knocked the wind out of me completely time and time again. Sain did a wonderful job with the setting; as a Southern girl from a swamp-like area myself, I felt myself choking on the humidity and heat as much as the secrets.

I especially liked how “full circle” the book was — specifically with uncovering the secrets and lies that poisoned La Cachette and ultimately led to so much death and pain.

Not sure I believe the “sparks” Grey feels when Zale touches her aren’t just his power rather than her body’s natural reaction to him, but he’s sweet, so I’ll allow it.

Also wasn’t a huge fan of the Hart and Elora bit, especially since he seemed so sketchy in a dangerous way throughout the book. HOW is it that almost no other reviews mention that???? There was also no real hint as to their being involved in any way, though that could be attributed to Grey’s being kinda dumb. Also their being together was kinda gross — they’ve lived as siblings for more than half their lives? It’s not like their parents are newly married, which would still have been eh but much better than two kids raised as siblings for like a decade “falling in love.”

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siennabea's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

2.75

I think this book was good, I just wish it had a bit more description on who the characters actually were.
It dealed with grief okay, but the last few chapters where it all came together was truly my favourite part.

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hollyheartless's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I have very mixed feelings about this book. This is quite fast paced and I was very hooked on finding out what happened. Part of me loves the dark atmosphere and the absolute rollercoaster I was on in trying to solve the mystery I did not trust any of these characters apart from MC Grey. The history of the characters and world building was clearly really thought out and clear while reading. There are some very clever snippets of writing using small visions of text to build a whole scene which I thought was brilliant!! However, I will say I didn’t feel fully satisfied with the ending of the book as a whole in the epilogue, I feel like I have a lot of questions still unanswered. Also there are a lot of triggers with this book, including child death, abuse, alcoholism and brief mentions of self harm. It is a dark and more mature book, one that I would read again but I wouldn’t be in any rush to

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micaelamariem's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I’m not much of a thriller reader but this YA thriller with magical elements kept me on my toes. In it, Grey returns to a small Louisiana town known for its psychic powers. But this is the first summer since her best friend’s disappearance and she’s determined to know what happened. I loved the beautiful descriptions in this book. If you ever wanted Southern Gothic with a touch of magical realism, this is it. I especially loved how the place of this town was a character in itself, showing how there was rot under even what was pretty, just like the festering secrets people kept. The twists were also satisfying. I was only partially correct in my original guess of who the killer was. I also liked the portrayal of grief and how trauma can affect mental health and the way a character interacts with others. I do agree that the characters acted stupid and selfish often—though they are teenagers so that could be realistic. I also agree that the pace was a bit slower than it needed to be. Still, I really enjoyed this book and if you like gothic fiction and thrillers, this is the perfect mix. But beware of trigger warnings: murder, domestic violence, death of children, alcohol.

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powellki's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

I enjoyed the premise of this book, I enjoyed the beginning mystery. I wanted to know what had happened to Elora as badly as Grey did. There were a few twists and turns in the book I didn't see coming, especially the last hour of the audiobook. I am very disappointed with the ending because it turned into a very twisted love triangle (that had been hinted at throughout the book), and ends with the unnecessary death of multiple characters. I was also unhappy with the epilogue because it ends ambiguously.

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