Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

119 reviews

asuna1930's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Stalking

Moderate: Rape

vj_thompson's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I would totally read a spin-off series where Carly solves missing persons cases. Overall loved the writing and the story. There were so many good moments, and I was on the edge of my seat reading this book. Will be reading more of Simone St. James’s novels. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Infidelity, Stalking, Violence, Addiction, and Blood

Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Child death, Drug use, Sexual assault, and Alcohol

Minor: Cancer, Bullying, Eating disorder, Sexism, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Racism

cyndi1966's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, and Stalking

Moderate: Infidelity and Child death

Minor: Cancer

lrgreenb's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Murder, Death, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Death of parent and Infidelity

Minor: Cancer and Rape

amanda_reads89's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, and Stalking

Moderate: Sexism, Violence, Rape, and Sexual assault

cspleenster's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Murder and Violence

Minor: Rape

oyechi's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Cancer, Violence, Murder, and Death

sylvestra's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Rape

Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, and Cancer

librarymouse's review

dark funny mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The setting, in particular, was really strong and the transitions between 1982 and 2017 were really tangible. Some of the characters were so pleasantly strange in a very human way. The juxtaposing of Nick, the former delinquent Carly meets as an under the table resident of a run down motel with Callum, the library volunteer who's way too invested in her search for what happened to her aunt is really well done.

Overall, this book was really fucking weird in a highly consumable way.

there was some things that felt like compulsory heterosexuality on my first read through, but to be honest, I think I've just been reading a lot of queer stuff recently, and all this book did was clearly characterize Carly as straight. Vic's cancer coming back at the end of the book, so close to her saying she's cancer free and learning her sister also died of cancer felt a bit out of place to me, but it's also real life and real life issues that do happen being presented within the frame of a thriller. I'm not a fan of the pro-cop rhetoric, but at the same time, I did like Alma as a character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Blood, Death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Vomit, Death of parent, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Cancer and Domestic abuse

Major content warning for anyone sensitive to men abusing positions of power, sexual assault, and violence against women.

harpoonholly's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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? No

4.5

Audiobook read by Brittany Pressley and Kirsten Potter. The readers were both good at injecting unique characteristics--tone, inflection, etc--to the characters.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, but what I thought would be shallow details underwent interesting change; the characters evolved pretty naturally, not because a lot of time passed for the respective protagonists, but via information we learned at the same time they did.

The paranormal action was fun, but the conclusion of the hauntings wrapped up offscreen and too cleanly, which always, always bugs me. I feel like that might be becoming a trend in current horror, but I really hope not (something similar happened in Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand, but that was much more egregious).

I hesitate to say this is a fun read overall, because the subject matter is pretty heavy, but the overall action and intrigue are entertaining. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Sexual violence, and Rape

Heed the triggers. Nothing is described in gruesome (literally) detail, but what's said isn't shy about it.