Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain

21 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Vomit, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Confinement, Incest, Pedophilia, Slavery, Trafficking, Pregnancy, Outing, Abandonment, and Colonisation

creolelitbelle's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

I reread this as an audiobook, and the production is on POINTE. Sound effects match the flash scenes perfectly, and the emotion from the narrator hits as it should. I love the mysteries within the story and the complexity of the characters. Elora feels as much a part of the story as Gray, Hart, and everyone else we meet, because her presence is felt so strongly from nearly page one. My strong hope is that this will become a movie or mini-series one day, because the writing is amazing. Recently, I learned from the author that an expert on Louisiana read the book before publication, which explains its authenticity. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Moderate: Suicide

chanlo1994's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The scenery details are so realistic. I can smell the mud and feel the heat of the Gulf Coast. I really love Ginny's writing.

The ending!!!! I'm like WHOA. The way it wraps up... its incredible. Genius, really. I might have to sit on my couch and do nothing but process for a couple minutes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Addiction, Body horror, and Blood

Additional content warnings: drowning, hurricanes

leonleoff's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

3.5

Had me hooked the whole read. The ending was

lackluster. The “incest”plotline was unnecessary and was what made me bump this down from a 4 star. It felt like a cheap last thrill.

Despite its flaws, this was a good read! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Incest

izzyvioletgrace's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

beckyremillard's review against another edition

dark 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

micaelamariem's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Truly shocked by how much I wound up enjoying this book. Nothing was predictable and each twist shocked me more than the last. 

Harts tempted should’ve been a dead giveaway but knowing the summer 10 had lost three before adulthood allowed the reader to excuse it as grief. He shouldn’t have kept the secrets he did, but even then he was not the worst … no one could’ve seen Evie’s plot twist coming. 

I fell for her being the victim, haunted both literally and by grief for those of their group who passed. Finding out it was her literally being haunted by guilt and by Elora for killing her left my jaw on the floor.

Overall, I loved the magical aspect of all these psychic abilities those in  La Cachette had. The intrigue that followed decades of murders, guilt and lies. Ginny is a beyond talented author, truly having my heart beat for all the

summer 12

while I devoured this book whole. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

darquedreamer's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense 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

4.75

Dark and Shallow Lies was atmospheric and captivating. Very well written. So little happened, but so much happened at the same time. It was breathtaking and heart clenching, and gripping.

The story inside most definitely matched the beautifully gothic cover on the outside. It was dark and tense and I could see it clearly in my mind. It was mysterious and reflective, and had an amazing build up.

For taking place in such a short amount of time, the characters had so much depth to them. Even the characters that were no longer in the story. They were rich and felt so real, despite most of them having not so real abilities.

The setting was perfect. It transported me to the bayou. The descriptions, the feel of the words, and the way the characters spoke all anchored me to the story and location.

I definitely enjoyed this one. It had a tiny bit of predictability that allowed the truly shocking twists to be hidden. It unfolded in a perfect way, just like a hurricane.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

kitfkat's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder