Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

10 reviews

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

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

lyricallit's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

3.25

I did enjoy it but it's almost as much romance as it is mystery. I didn't mind the romance (though there are questionable aspects to it) but just had to adjust my expectations once I saw it coming. I did not care for the narrator; the timbre didn't match what I would have had in my head for Sarah. I looked past that to focus on the story, but it was disappointing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Death of parent

Moderate: Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, War, and Murder

gondorgirl's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, War, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Suicide, Classism, Murder, Rape, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence

sarah_speaks's review against another edition

dark 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Suicide, Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content and War

Minor: Death of parent

msteinhaus's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.0

Wasn't good for me. I don't like books written from the perspective of women who lack confidence in themselves, which is true of this narrator, Sarah Piper. I also don't like the romance trope of people who are irresistibly physically attracted to each other without any actual knowledge of each other. The backstory of the ghost in question is also horrible. In conclusion, this story had lots of attributes that, had I known, probably would have prevented me from picking this up in the first place. You've been warned!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Murder, Sexual assault, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Death, and Child abuse

bee87's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Pedophilia, Suicide, War, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Rape

susannah_knox's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Violence, Sexual content, Suicide, and Sexual violence

neniacorcoran's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Suicide

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Grief, and Rape

bethann's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence