Reviews with content warning for Child death - The Survivors

Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Survivors by Jane Harper

13 reviews

melissatrew's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

”Unless you want every secret in this place dragged to the surface, I recommend everybody in this room opens their mouths and starts talking.”

Finally got around to reading this one that’s been in my TBR pile forever! The coastal setting and the creepy caves play a big role in the story about a closeknit town torn apart by grief and suspicion after a series of tragedies.

It’s a very slow burning mystery and it took a while for the plot to pick up and get interesting, but it got there eventually. All of the characters did start to bleed together in my mind, though, because none of them really had their own distinct personality. I did appreciate the big reveal at the end; I definitely wouldn’t have predicted the story to go in that direction and didn’t see it coming!

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whathillarygraceread's review against another edition

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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? No

3.25

I'm a huge Jane Harper fan - The Lost Man is one of my favorite books - and I liked this more than Force of Nature, but not as much as The Dry and The Lost Man. The story is good and I like that there are some deeper themes examined, but the ending left me feeling a little meh. Landscapes are looming characters in all of Harper's books and the Tasmanian Coast was the perfect setting for this story.

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thebakerbookworm's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

I liked this book, in that it gave me an intriguing mystery to listen to while I was driving on my road trip, but I really don't think it'll be one that I remember in the long run. I'm writing this review a few weeks after finishing and already struggling to remember the details.

There are a lot of characters, and it took a while to get familiar with everyone. And the mystery doesn't quite grip you from the start. It's definitely a slow build that never really takes off but I was interested enough to want to know what happened.

I didn't figure out the mystery, but I was disappointed with the end. Let's just say it left much to be desired, and then just abruptly ended after the big reveal.

This was a nice "background" listen—no need to pay attention to every word but keeps you hooked enough to finish the book. The setting may have been the best part.

Thanks to Libro.fm, Macmillan Audio, and the author for my ALC!

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bigheartedbibliophile's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

SPOILERS
“Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences. The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home. Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn. When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away...”
I loveeeee thrillers/mysteries, and this was no exception. From the very beginning, you are wondering what happened, and why Kieran left his hometown in the first place. In the end, you are left absolutely breathless and in shock. I could not put this book down, I needed to know what happened!

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silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective 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

4.5

Overall, I'd call this the solid, four star read I've come to expect from the author. I bumped it up a little because the reveal at the end, while disturbing, was also so perfectly human it drove home the accuracy of the 'humanness' in the rest of the story. One thing I also really appreciated about this story particularly is that while many characters (of necessity for a thriller) had their little secrets, most were simply about hiding small weaknesses and again, very *human* moments, not the kind that left me hating all the characters.

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