Reviews tagging 'Death'

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

62 reviews

msprufrock's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? No

I'm having a hard time deciding how to rate this novel. On the one hand, I do think it's well-written (in terms of description, use of language, writing style, etc) and a compelling story. I thought the trial scenes were mostly well-done, and I was guessing at the true guilty party until it was revealed, with each character's perspective bringing new facts and twists. All that's great - if there were no complicating factors, I'd rate this pretty highly.

However. Most of the story points are based on what seems to me to be a pretty ableist idea, that it's possible to "cure" autism. I'm not autistic, but I've listened and spoken to enough folks on the spectrum to know that it's not possible and not needed. Often, these treatments are harmful to autistic people. The only voices in the novel pointing this out are the protesters, who are pretty much always portrayed in a more villainous role. 

I don't know. With that being so central to the plot, I'm uncomfortable giving it a high rating or recommending it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, Child death, Murder, Sexual assault, and Death

Moderate: Suicide

adventuring_librarian's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Child death, and Child abuse

moriahleigh's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide

Minor: Bullying, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship

lpdx'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Sexual assault, Child death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, and Rape

Minor: Excrement and Infertility

bookishhl8275's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-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

4.0

I loved the writing style, the character growth and the storyline was so interesting to me.
I’ve never read a legal thriller and this book opened me up into a world of books I thought I’d never read!
Highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Death, Violence, Gore, Sexual assault, Child death, and Death of parent

weird_but_fucking_beautiful's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

This isn’t an easy book to try and review. In fact, it is a downright ugly book to try and review. There are no happy go lucky characters here. No happy endings. This story is about the unforgiving daily hardships a parent faces as the single care giver of a child with special needs. This story is about the lies we tell ourselves and others to fit a narrative that leads to the most suitable outcome. How far would you go to protect someone you loved? How much of something beneficial is too much?  These are some of the tough questions author Angie Kim poses as she skillfully balances the memories of the moralistically grey characters, barring one, regarding the event in question with scenes from the ongoing trial. The book relies heavily on the theory of The Butterfly Effect in which “the smallest of changes in one surrounding could leave drastic ripple effects at some point in the future”. It is a heavy, thought provoking story that does not cut corners in any of its topic debates including what is exactly the fine line between nurturing a child vs abusing a child. 

A potential 5 star read, I knocked a 1/2 star off due to a slight drag in the middle. 

 

 

 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide

Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Infertility, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Stalking

mairyhammoth's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Ableism, Racism, Death, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Car accident

dlrosebyh's review against another edition

emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

A group of people in a tiny town in Virginia know one other because they are members of a special treatment center, a hyperbaric chamber that may heal a variety of problems ranging from infertility to autism. But suddenly the chamber explodes, killing two individuals, and it becomes evident that the incident was not an accident. 

 

As the tale progresses, a tremendous battle builds between people who may be be hidden secrets or concealing betrayals. We swap alliances and gather proof chapter by chapter: Was it a patient's thoughtless mother? Was it the proprietors, intending to profit from a large insurance payout and send their daughter to college? Could it have been a protester attempting to demonstrate that the therapy is unsafe? 

 

It took me a while to get into the book, but that's not my main concern because it's a page turner after that. My main concern is how one of the characters dealt with autism. The portrayal was actually rather nice, however there was one storyline flaw in one particular scenario. A mother attempted to do something to her autistic child, but it was never fully explained why she did so or why she believed it was a good idea. It wasn't brought up again in the following chapters, and as a neurodivergent person, it still bothers me. 

 

Overall, I felt this was an intriguing read. It is a really well-written and unique plot when compared to other mystery thrillers. The characters are flawed, but I did predict the plot twist and thought, "Oh, yeah, suppose that's it" — kind of defeats the purpose of a good mystery novel, doesn't it? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Sexual assault

Moderate: Suicide, Infertility, and Adult/minor relationship

funsizesteffi1104's review against another edition

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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was a unforgettable story follows what desperate people can do when faced with desperate situations, The characters are diverse, flawed and real. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Infertility, and Mental illness

theoriebubble's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Death, Rape, and Child abuse

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Bullying