Scan barcode
lucybmn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.25
Might edit this later, but just wanted to get these thoughts down. These are the complaints I held throughout reading this book:
- I might have gotten more out of it if the blurb and the opening chapter hadn't told me the whole plot. If what happened to the sisters was more of a surprise. This is part of why it felt so slow for me. It just felt like a long way to say what had already been summarized and I was waiting for something new to happen... and nothing really did.
- I somewhat wish that the Iris Chapel/Sylvia Wren perspectives had been more mixed together. It felt like an awfully long time to wait to get back to the protagonist we were first introduced to (even if they are the same person).
- While I appreciate the feminist themes and the critique of the treatment of women, I found it extremely heavy-handed and also completely mystifying. Which was maybe the point but didn't work for me. Why this family? Why Belinda's line? What was it all for? And why did it happen this way?
- Lastly, it seemed like the gun legacy and the victim ghosts were going to be a much bigger part of the story, and that was interesting to me, but it was disappointingly sidelined.
Okay that is a lot of complaints lol, this wasn't my favorite book. But despite all of that, I did find it interesting and well-written, and I was invested in Iris's story. Just wish it had been executed a bit differently.
- I might have gotten more out of it if the blurb and the opening chapter hadn't told me the whole plot. If what happened to the sisters was more of a surprise. This is part of why it felt so slow for me. It just felt like a long way to say what had already been summarized and I was waiting for something new to happen... and nothing really did.
- I somewhat wish that the Iris Chapel/Sylvia Wren perspectives had been more mixed together. It felt like an awfully long time to wait to get back to the protagonist we were first introduced to (even if they are the same person).
- While I appreciate the feminist themes and the critique of the treatment of women, I found it extremely heavy-handed and also completely mystifying. Which was maybe the point but didn't work for me. Why this family? Why Belinda's line? What was it all for? And why did it happen this way?
- Lastly, it seemed like the gun legacy and the victim ghosts were going to be a much bigger part of the story, and that was interesting to me, but it was disappointingly sidelined.
Okay that is a lot of complaints lol, this wasn't my favorite book. But despite all of that, I did find it interesting and well-written, and I was invested in Iris's story. Just wish it had been executed a bit differently.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Child death
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Self harm
readwithbrittany's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book was not for me. While I usually enjoy a gothic literary read, this book was too long and slow. I found there were times I would zone out while reading but I didn't need to go back and re-read the part I missed because it wasn't important anyway. There are a few stand out moments that had me engaged and kept me reading, but the book would have been better if it was about a 100 pages shorter. I also can't even remember the ending and I just finished it two days ago.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Blood, Death, and Suicide
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Suicide, Pregnancy, and Forced institutionalization
mondovertigo's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Misogyny, and Suicide
Moderate: Pregnancy, Self harm, and Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, and Car accident
meredithamadee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Sexual harassment
bookshelf_al's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, Sexism, and Confinement
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Suicide and Self harm
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Thank you to Netgalley and Mariner for the eARC of The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker!
The characters were each complex, fully developed to stand on their own. The writing was excellent and held my attention throughout the novel. The story switches between the present and the 1950s through Iris’ flashbacks. I enjoyed the flashbacks the most but the present POV was also interesting, especially in the end!
I’m a scaredy cat when it comes to scary movies so this book was the best parts of scary movies for me, particularly ghost/haunting based films. It takes the great plot/storyline and ghostly vibes without any of the jump scares 👻
Lately I’ve been reading my kindle during workouts and have started listening to music as well to drown out the EDM gym music. I really like finding instrumental playlists that fit the type of book I’m reading! I’ve found a dark mystery music playlist that made the book feel slightly spookier and added to my reading experience of it.
Great ending! Loved finding out that my hunch was right about one of the characters and their story being loosely inspired by the legend of Sarah Winchester. I became attached to the Chapel sisters and felt sympathy for Iris, definitely a story that will stay with me for awhile!
You’ll enjoy Cherry Robbers if you like:
🌸Sarah Winchester’s life and legend
🌸gothic ghost stories
🌸healing generational trauma
🌸difficult family relationships
🌸strong women
🌸you like scary movies for the plot
TW/CW: pregnancy, death, suicide attempt, death of sibling, marital rape (brief mentions), grief, blood, vomit, suicide, sexual content, body shaming (brief), forced institutionalization, gun violence, childhood trauma, panic/anxiety disorder (brief)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death, Suicide, Grief, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Pregnancy, Blood, Gun violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Rape, Vomit, Body shaming, and Panic attacks/disorders
closedcassket's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Death, Grief, and Misogyny
Minor: Car accident, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Rape
wateringpages's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? No
4.0
I'd like to thank HMH/Mariner Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'm a huge fan of the gothic genre, and the sort of revival that we've been seeing of the gothic within the contemporary scene has been very enjoyable for me. The Cherry Robbers is no exception. It's a beautifully constructed novel about femininity, sexuality, and grief.
The Cherry Robbers follows the Chapel daughters, who are heiresses to the Chapel firearms fortune. But their story doesn't begin with them, it has always existed. We open with Sylvia Wren, a renowned, yet elusive artist living in New Mexico. We learn that she is, in fact, Iris Chapel, the fifth (of six) daughter of the Chapel family. The majority of the novel is set as a flashback to when the six girls were growing up, and the fates that befell them. We learn that their father is very detached, and their mother, Belinda, never really wanted the life that she has. She's believed to be insane because she thinks that their house is haunted by the ghosts of people killed by the firearms produced by Chapel.
While there's not a lot of horror involved, the eerie atmosphere that Walker sets and maintains is extremely captivating. It took me a while to be fully engrossed because I wasn't sure of the direction the story would take at the beginning, but it's well wrapped-up with a very satisfying arc throughout.
The Cherry Robbers is set to be published in February 2022.
I'm a huge fan of the gothic genre, and the sort of revival that we've been seeing of the gothic within the contemporary scene has been very enjoyable for me. The Cherry Robbers is no exception. It's a beautifully constructed novel about femininity, sexuality, and grief.
The Cherry Robbers follows the Chapel daughters, who are heiresses to the Chapel firearms fortune. But their story doesn't begin with them, it has always existed. We open with Sylvia Wren, a renowned, yet elusive artist living in New Mexico. We learn that she is, in fact, Iris Chapel, the fifth (of six) daughter of the Chapel family. The majority of the novel is set as a flashback to when the six girls were growing up, and the fates that befell them. We learn that their father is very detached, and their mother, Belinda, never really wanted the life that she has. She's believed to be insane because she thinks that their house is haunted by the ghosts of people killed by the firearms produced by Chapel.
While there's not a lot of horror involved, the eerie atmosphere that Walker sets and maintains is extremely captivating. It took me a while to be fully engrossed because I wasn't sure of the direction the story would take at the beginning, but it's well wrapped-up with a very satisfying arc throughout.
The Cherry Robbers is set to be published in February 2022.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
Minor: Death of parent
More...