Reviews tagging 'Child death'

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

147 reviews

liv_brisson's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.5

I don’t like the “is the MC really a reliable narrator?” Trope. I didn’t like it in in The Wives by Tarryn Fisher and here it’s not as bad, but still frustrating (if you liked that trope in The Wives, then this book is for you). 

I have also read so many books with the serial killer father trope and hate the overused & predictable ending of the narrator being the murderer who finishes what he started. This book doesn’t succumb to that end (thankfully lol). The interesting premise that keeps you on your toes is what saves this book from being a DNF/lower rating. 

Overall, I’m not mad at it. Though some of the trademark thriller twists & turns were a bit predictable, I did find it quite riveting a lot of the time! Many of the twists and turns were actually unexpected. The end resolve left a bit more to be desired for side character development & tying the ends of side plot lines, but I really enjoyed the last few lines & the full circle moment for the narrator.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, Death, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Sexual harassment

Minor: Blood

thismermaidreads's review

mysterious sad tense 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

2.0

This book starts with an unnecessarily triggering description of a mentally unwell teenage girl. I was able to mentally push past that just to get 80% of the way through the book where the main character does something I CAN’T stand in books and find incredibly unethical. So I know for those reasons I can't rate it higher than a 3...it's getting a two because quite frankly there were just too many oh my God I can't trust these people in her life and like i get it, but also like couldn't she have at least ONE person in her life who could be trustworthy? Oh she did...but yeah they weren't actually so this poor girl (woman) left the book with literally no ONE. Had that plot twist 80% of the way through NOT happened and she at least got a HEA I THINK I could have gotten up to a 3.5 4 star.

I just can't with people who use their horrific experiences as a reason to cheat on an otherwise loyal partner.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, Murder, Drug use, Abandonment, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence

missgrangerr's review

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

2.0

Insufferable main character who, you guessed it, makes stupid mistake after stupid mistake while not caring who she burns in her path. I predicted the twist from the beginning, however I do have to say there was a bit where I thought I was wrong. Overall the book was slow, predictable, and had no redeeming characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Suicide

perpetually_isolated_being's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child death, and Mental illness

mcarol23's review

dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, Death, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Drug abuse, Murder, and Suicide attempt

easchesm's review

dark sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Drug use, Child death, Violence, Stalking, Physical abuse, Murder, and Kidnapping

Minor: Self harm

caitgiam's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Murder, and Child death

Moderate: Kidnapping, Drug abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Self harm

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was annoying in that the protagonist was annoying, but it was good in that it had an enough red herrings to keep me guessing. I would’ve preferred the ending to be a little happier, but I suppose it’s unrealistic to think it could be. Maybe I can think of it more like a lot yet but maybe later - something that gets worked out off the pages and after the story - like in an unwritten epilogue.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Confinement, Grief, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Death, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, and Violence

yannis_'s review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

For the ones who haven't read the book yet, go and read it. It has been different from other books I have read and definitely is one of them that you never forget.

At the beginning, Stacy Willingham let me think that the story was bad written and developed. I remember thinking "this can't be SO obvious and she thinks we won't understand! Little did I know... I did not expect the end of the book. There is a moment you start thinking if she is the one doing all of this or is it Danile? Or maybe her brother? And this goes on and on.

Great book, can't wait to read her second novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, and Murder

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Death, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Blood, Infidelity, and Violence