Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

192 reviews

alicesayshi's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense

3.5

Absolutely bonkers. Good fun. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Confinement, and Blood

araemoore's review

adventurous dark 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

4.5

aspiring author suffering from a year long case of writer’s block, alex - occasionally known as al - hasn’t penned a word since a falling out with her closest friend, wren.

after a run-in with wren at a publishing event for a mutual friend, alex finds herself whisked away to a mansion in the woods owned by none other than her favorite author, the enigmatic roza vallo; former teenage protege, writer of multiple horror masterpieces. roza’s challenge for the retreat was simple: write a novel by the end of february alongside a group of young women, including alex’s new bunk mate and former bff, wren.

tensions, attraction, sapphic longing, ghost stories fill this mystery in a way that i throughly enjoyed from start to finish. the way inspiration is fickle and fleeting felt like the author was in my head. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Blood, Murder, and Confinement

hazelgirl21's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content

_lera_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Confinement, Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, and Gun violence

wganas4's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Racism, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Murder, and Blood

christajls's review

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gun violence, and Confinement

literary_bug's review

challenging dark mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Gun violence, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, and Blood

booksemmahasread's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Violence, Sexual content, Alcohol, Death, and Confinement

Moderate: Medical content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Minor: Kidnapping, Grief, Gun violence, Terminal illness, and Mental illness

bookishbabe93's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

I read a majority of this book during an ice storm. As the wind howled, upended trees, downed power lines and sent my world into a chilly darkness this book kept me warm. It isn’t perfect a diamond in the rough and its story is one that’s not entirely original it’s been perfected over hundreds of novels.

A secluded beautiful home, a storm, a mystery, and the tantalizing struggle to survive.

Yet it felt new to me… felt fresh and ripe and brimming with sweet acidic prose. Like a dark poisonous flower. At its heart this book was an homage to writers so I am well aware that won’t translate to every reader…but it translated to me. This book speaks to me fluently. With its complicated relationships and nuanced female characters… it speaks and speaks and speaks.

I finished this book cocooned in the bubbles of a soothing hot bath a month after the ice melted and the lights turned on again. I spent the final hours deeply engaged as the novel hit its crescendo and entered the final few chapters. The once steamy water had grown tepid the bubbles faded… I didn’t care. I had to finish it…I had to know the end of Alex’s story.

That’s what this book was, a story about stories. A love letter to characters and the manic process of creation…of writing worlds and people and plots. Not only did this book cure my reading slump brought on from an overly prosed 700 page fantasy it also stoked the spark of my muse…coaxing her back to life and igniting that desire once more to write.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Drug use, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Violence

nerdglasses08's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Blood, Death, Drug use, Cursing, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Confinement