Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven

11 reviews

librarymouse's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

5.0

This was not what I was expecting from a book advertised as a retelling of Jekyll and Hyde, but it was immensely enjoyable.

the society soulless girls not being at the root of the deaths preceding and during the events of the novel was also not what I was expecting, but I really appreciated the twist. The dark academia society with engraved name plaques for the new girls who performed the ritual is a strange touch, but fits the setting. One thing that also felt odd is the headmistress not reading the investigation notebook before she burned it. However, I do understand her not wanting to learn about atrocities she may have committed and the horror she thought the murdered student might of felt for her. Lottie and Alice are adorable together and I love the bloody and devoted relationship that evolved from their semi-mutual animosity. The council of horrific old white men experimenting on their peers and the young women they're supposed to be mentoring feels a bit too true to life, but I like how it tied together the frayed ends of the storytelling. The ghost of the nun was also a nice touch, guiding Lottie through the task she already wanted to do and helping her solve the mystery. One thing I would critique is the repeated reference to Lottie not being asexual with her newfound attraction to Alice. Asexuality is an umbrella term, and if she's only attracted to Alice, she may still be able to identify with a term under the umbrella.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Death, Medical content, Bullying, Gore, Blood, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Murder, Animal death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Terminal illness and Drug use

izzyvioletgrace's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Grief, Sexual assault, Death, Violence, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, and Physical abuse

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.25

    Lottie and Alice start at the newly reopened  Carvell College of Arts. But history starts to repeat itself as a new series of killings start, eerily similar to the ones from ten years ago that caused it to close its doors. 
    This book is reported to be dark and "funny". Dark yes, funny much less so. The animal murder is resolved in a way that makes it less traumatic to the reader, but at the time it happens it's very dark and disturbing. As an animal lover, I had to stop reading the book for the day after that scene.
    I get where the author was coming from with the message about female anger and how it needs to be accepted and we need to change the sexism in the world. I really wish the author had stayed away from harming animals. I'm a person who prefers human death to animal death in fiction.
    The book was decent. I liked the premise but the execution wasn't as good as possible. 

Extra ratings: Fluff - 0/5  Heartfelt- 4/5   Helpful-NA    Horror- 3/5    Inspiration- NA   Love aka Romance-2/5   Mystery-3/5    Predictability- 3/5    Spice- 0/5  Suspense- 2/5   Tear 3.5/5  Thrill- 3.5/5  Humor-1/5 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Sexism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Murder, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Confinement, and Self harm

Minor: Chronic illness, Sexual harassment, and Dementia

suzylit's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Suicide, Violence, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Self harm, Sexism, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Alcohol and Sexual assault

matcha_cat's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Murder, Violence, Misogyny, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Self harm, Alcohol, Blood, and Physical abuse

reina_shouko's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Self harm, Death, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, and Physical abuse

zombiezami's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Child death, Body horror, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Misogyny, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Vomit, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Torture, Gore, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Stalking, Alcohol, Grief, and Rape

Minor: Infidelity

kmarlowe'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

It’s felt like dark academia met The Sex Lives of College Girls (without the sex). Not necessarily a bad thing! I think it was an intriguing plot but lost me a bit in the end.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Suicide, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, and Religious bigotry

grrrlbrarian's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

A really enjoyable read - loved how dark, tense and moody this novel was. Also loved the relationship between Lottie and Alice, and Alice's past with Noemie, which really echoed my own experience as a teenager. About 2/3 of the way through the book, I did start to feel a bit lost and the plot felt like it was all over the place, but it all came back together in the end.

Side note specific to the audiobook: this is the first audiobook I've listened to, and although I loved the narrators' emotional and funny performance, I did find it frustrating that they constantly mispronounced things, including Hafsah's name. Could really have done with someone to check pronunciations during recording.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Body horror, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: Chronic illness, Suicide, Misogyny, and Vomit

raynearchv's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Suicide, and Murder