Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

41 reviews

shelbykc's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide and Rape

Minor: Violence, War, Mental illness, and Domestic abuse

csondra's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.5

I was expecting a haunted mystery. Instead I got a predictable story with absolutely no character development. The FMC reads like an insecure pubescent teen girl going through her boy crazy stage. Sex just comes from literally nowhere. I just couldn’t take this book seriously. Maybe if you’re into horny horror?

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Rape

lampbee's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-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? No

3.0

Really like her mysteries they’re not always complex but they’re entertaining. This one was less entertaining , the plot focused a weird amount on explicit sex scenes which didn’t feel like they matched with the tone of the story and went on for a very long time. The mystery itself was interesting but too much time spent on developing two romances so the actual ghost case was sort of bland. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Murder, Medical trauma, Sexual content, and War

Maybe it was intentional but considering the suicide in the book was caused by rape and sexual violence , I found the gratuitous sex scenes between the two main characters was weird — and the slow pulling of the man from his shell was annoying, not enough time to care about why he covers his war scars etc - her parents deaths was way more interesting than all the sex they kept having while their friend was dying

mrspyrowiz13's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gun violence, Misogyny, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, Suicide, Cursing, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Alcohol, Death, Sexual assault, Body horror, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Blood

thereadedit's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed getting to know our characters, and how they interacted with Maddy. Maddy was definitely a force of nature that couldn't be contained. Even in death. She deserved so much better than the hand she was dealt in life. 

I loved being able to see the world through the eyes of a woman in 1920s London. You were able to see how much things have changed throughout the years. Along with change you were able to see the simplicity of the times without the complexity of technology. 

This was definitely a story that had to be followed closely or you missed out on details that you would later appreciate. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Rape, Bullying, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Gun violence, Suicide, Death, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder

pkane01's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Sexual assault, Rape, and Murder

kellyykatt's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, and Child abuse

kelbel322's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

bookcheshirecat's review

challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.0

“You can't imagine how hard it is to come home from hell and be expected to pick up the threads of a life. Apply for jobs, go to a factory, punch in, punch out. Put your lunch in a bag and get on the omnibus every day. Like nothing happened. Nothing.” 

➽ This is one of Simone St. James' older titles, but I still enjoyed it a lot! It's set in the 1920s after the first world war and follows Sarah Piper, who's a temporary agent that takes on any odd jobs that come her way. When she gets offered the chance to become the secretary of infamous ghost hunter Alistair Gellis, she's not sure what she's getting herself into. Piper has been leading a solitary life, so against all common sense, she agrees and travels with him to investigate the haunting of a young servant called Maddy Clare. They're joined by Alistair's long time friend and assistant Matthew Ryder, who immediately catches Sarah's eye despite his gruff demeanor. He's been deeply scarred by the way and still fights with his demons. This book was so haunting and emotional! Sarah gets closer to Maddy's ghost, as she hates all men and sees the pain that has been inflicted on her. Tensions are rising as it's likely that whoever hurt her still lives in the small town unseen and might not want their secret to come out! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, War, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Suicide, Sexism, and Forced institutionalization