Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Sundial by Catriona Ward

203 reviews

ehoustonmyatt's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Drug use, Addiction, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Animal death, Miscarriage, Blood, Confinement, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

shelbys_shelves's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I was going back and forth between rating this book a 3 or a 4. I ultimately decided a 4 because I liked the overall plot and I thought the story was unique.

The one thing I didn’t particularly like was the fact that one of the characters in the book is a writer and there were short excerpts of her story throughout the book. It was like reading a book within a book.

These excerpts were a bit confusing and I found myself wanting to skip them entirely the further I got into the book. I didn’t understand the purpose they served or if there was supposed to be some sort of connection to the plot.

Other than that, I enjoyed Sundial and found it both disturbing and heartbreaking. There were definitely times when I couldn’t put it down, so I’d recommend this to those who want a story about family drama, secrets, creepy kids, and a little sci-fi element.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty

hellokatya's review

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

the only reason this doesn’t have a 5 star rating is because it did have some lulls in it — otherwise, this book is beautiful. would highly recommend. 
beautiful tale of mother and daughter, of sisters, and escaping the path that’s been laid out for you. so gorgeous please read it 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Violence, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Confinement, Blood, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Body horror, Pregnancy, and Child death

Minor: Kidnapping

tarfishy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy

patriciadm's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

jesssicawho's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Another 5-star Catriona Ward novel. She has become a must-read, instant-buy author for me. 

This story was particularly haunting and emotional for me. The theme of a mother's boundless love for her daughter resonated. But, you know, with horror and generational trauma because it's Catriona Ward.

Definitely read the TWs for this one.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, and Toxic relationship

lebishop13's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is very possibly the most terrifying book I've ever read. It's definitely going to keep me thinking for a looooong time. Read it, so we can think about it together. 

From the start, Rob's relationship with her husband, her family, and the world around her is bizarre and kind of skewed. You can't quite put your finger on what is so unsettling. Every time you find something else out, you have to just keep asking yourself, "but why?!"

And then the pieces start coming together. And you can't look away. But are they coming together? The two narrators are so at odds with each other, you really don't know who to trust. 

I can picture this as movie with a really strong color palette that changes as the plot progresses or depending on whose POV you're in.

There's also some really great unspoken commentary on the ethics of science which was the cherry on top of this thriller. 

Read this if you like thrillers with the house/setting as a character, along with unreliable narrators, and a dash of ethics thrown in. 

TW: abuse - child, spouse, animal

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Miscarriage, Death, Death of parent, Addiction, and Self harm

jet_nebula's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Infidelity, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Violence, Domestic abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Pregnancy and Self harm

Minor: Child death

marselise's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Animal death, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Gore and Infidelity

bittersquirrel's review

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Domestic abuse