Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain

7 reviews

emgwh's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, and Child death

Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Death, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Addiction, and Child abuse

Minor: Death of parent

kelly_e's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Title: When the Stars Go Dark
Author: Paula McLain
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: April 13, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Atmospheric • Haunting • Messy

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Anna, a veteran missing persona detective in San Francisco, knows the dark side of human nature all too well. In the wake of a personal tragedy, she returns to Mendocino, the place she grew up, with hopes of healing. Upon her arrival, she quickly becomes entrenched in a local case involving the mysterious disappearance of a teenager girl. She soon become obsessed with with saving the missing girl, yet will have to face some of most difficult lessons her life has taught her.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Sometimes I go into a book completely blind, picking it based solely on the cover. Such was the case with When the Stars Go Dark as the stunning cover instantly attracted my attention, and upon finishing, I believe it captures the tone and atmosphere of this novel perfectly.

This novel has serious true crime vibes. Paula McLain takes an unique approach weaving facts into the narrative and this structure allowed for only small portions of the plot to be revealed at a time.
The writing was immersive, making me feel as though I was inside Anna's mind as she did worked the case. The characters were flawed and real, which helped me to connect even more with the story. As a psychology graduate, I appreciated the psychological facets and really getting into the minds of criminals. It is something I find interesting as well as fascinating to try and understand.

A departure from her typical genre, When the Stars Go Dark held a personal connection for the author, which she details in the author's note at the end. Exploring trauma theory, she has delivered a nail-biting and complex account of reclaiming our lives when the worst has happened. I'd definitely love to see this cast of characters in a sequel.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of true crime
• readers who like the missing person trope
• anyone who enjoys Criminal Minds

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Getting your heart broken is the privilege of being human."

"The people we love never leave us, Anna. You know that already. That’s what I mean by spirit. I mean love." 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Child death, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Grief, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence

Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Death of parent, and Alcoholism

missing persons, adoption, overdose

jeanmoreaubaby's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

this book was good! it’s takes the whodunnit trope a step further & explores generational trauma & women’s intuition & the amount of violence perpetuated against women. it also had a historical element re: polly klaas story which i really enjoyed! it obviously got dark but that’s the nature of the plot. the dust jacket summary really got me

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Drug use, Death of parent, Abandonment, Child death, and Rape

allie_cat3's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

A good mystery, if a very sad one. I thought the use of psychic was silly, though. The author seems New Age-y. 
I liked the descriptions of Mendocino but I wish she had gone into more detail. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Kidnapping, Murder, Child death, Car accident, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, and Terminal illness

Minor: Alcoholism

kzeender's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, and Rape

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Drug use

lmp_2019's review against another edition

adventurous informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Torture, and Violence

thrillofthepage's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, and Infidelity

Minor: Stalking